And the Raven cried Nevermore
by ClefJ
Summary: Forty years since Silent Line, Kisaragi now takes the upper hand. A former clan leader goes insane as Raven Cross decides to keep the Great Destruction from repeating itself. (This story was taken off earlier due to misunderstandings, sorry.)
1. Wakening

And the Raven cried, Nevermore...   
  
Is life so dear,   
or peace so sweet,   
as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?   
Forbid it,   
Almighty God!   
I know not what course others may take,   
but as for me,   
give me liberty,   
or give me death.   
  
  
PROLOGUE   
  
'After the Controller was destroyed in Layered City 386*, the human race began to resurface to the fertile land. So much to give, yet people still fight over what precious paradise is left.' Thought the weary Armored Core pilot named Raven Cross. He had been challenged by LC 386's second-best fighter, code-name "Exile." They are to meet at the Alaskan territory dam 262, and currently he was at the cockpit of his sister's dropship Anubis. For the past 48 hours he has been in constant transit via dropship, and unluckily for him, they aren't ideally the most graceful airships ever constructed. An infernal cranking of gears, and the continuous clang of internal parts; Raven dreads the daily routine. There is always the stiff scent of grease, and oil in one's nostrils, and no matter how many times he showers, he still feels stained with filth, especially so in the sun.

  
But this life of seclusion was not originally his, just a shadow that he embraced, and wrapped himself in; an alias. A life where atonement for one's sins is not expected, or given, a world where the line between infamy, and glory is smeared, and one where anyone can vanish from the toiling gears of society.   


Raven Cross was LC 086's top Raven, who never accepted missions from the corporations within his city; named Mishima, Corporate Sector Authority (CSA), Pioneer, and the Tenlos Syndicate.   
He was leaning back in the pilot's chair, rubbing the right side of his head. He hasn't slept for days (which isn't that hard for him, given the right amount of protein), and is fatigued from continuous title matches against other Layered Cities. He has a dark red uniform, platinum safety pads (for crashes at speeds exceeding mach-1), turquoise fingerless gloves, and little round glasses. His hair is a nicely-combed silver with large, slightly long bangs. His eyes are red with an unusual glow.   


His home, among the homes of other Raven's in LC 086, was at the Libra Militant Corporation, a parody of LC 386's Global Cortex. He was logged onto the LMC 'shopping network' for arm parts. His AC's arms were nearly devastated by a recent encounter with a grenade-launcher equipped AC from LC 206. The console imbedded into the desk in front of him boots up with a few electrical clicks, slowly being replaced by a low hum as the launch screen fades in from the concave blackness. With a momentary flash from the monitor, Raven's dismal visage appeared before deflecting the glare with his free hand; his eyes are starting to sting again. The cabin goes dark as he takes a sip of the bland coffee, a few thunderheads drift-by in the small glass window against the wall. A metallic ring drums through the framework of the dropship as it banks a few degrees to the right. Despite the awkward angle, Raven manages to swig his coffee that was on the side without incident. There is a lethargic rap on the console keyboard as Raven enters his pin number, call sign, and password into the blank fields.   


The crackle of the console, and the clank of footsteps against metal awoke Raven from his brief trance while he sips the rest of his coffee. His sister walks into the chamber, with a warm expression on her face. She has black pants, boots, and a red tunic-like uniform over a black turtleneck. Her white gloves seem spotless, regardless of the numerous hours working on Raven's AC. Her hair is actually a normal brown, pinned up into a back-length ponytail, and has stunning blue eyes.   


She casually falls back in the copilot's chair, and pulls out a can of soda from under the seat. The can opens with a hiss, with a little orange carbonation peaking the rim. She takes a swig and grins at Raven, "Ahh, I can't believe how long I left this here... You know, caffeine will kill ya!"   
Raven puts down his Styrofoam cup and closes his eyes. "Kylia, I am in no mood for your humor."   


"Aww, come on," she shouts as she cheerfully smacks Ravens shoulder. "This is our big break! So what if we know slim to nil about this competitor, he shouldn't be anything much. Cheer up!"   


"He does come from the first liberated Layered, you know."   


"That doesn't mean a thing! So what if he's part of a terrorist organization... what was it... oh yeah, Union!"   


"I thought you didn't know anything..."   


"Heck, that's common sense stuff. If you win this title-match, we'll be set! One-million credits! Finally... I can get that damn King Fisher 9000, and catch the legendary Loch ness Monster!"   


"What?" Raven asked with a chuckle, opening his eyes to see how radiant Kylia's face is. "That little myth, made centuries before the Great Catastrophe? I would think that it's been nuked along with the rest of the old world. Besides, a fishing pole can't catch a legendary beast the size of this dropship." A blank stare, "Shit..."   


"What?"   


"This subject has forced me to lose my current thought patterns."   


"Umm, I don't... know... what were we talking about?"   


"Nothing important." Raven rose from his chair, and started to walk back into the AC hold. "Heheh... Works every time..."   


"And what are YOU doing?" asked Kylia, poking her head around the edge of the chair.   
Raven stopped, and didn't turn to face her. "I'm going to get my AC ready. This is taking far too long, so I'll fly to the engagement zone myself. Is the Dalriadan ready?"   
Kylia had another proud expression on her. "In tip-top shape, as always! And that's another ten grand you owe me," she said playfully.   


"Kylia, you are a threat to tolerance," Raven said as he walked out of the cockpit.   
Raven walked down the dark corridor, faced a gray round hatch, and entered a few numbers on a dial pad to his side. The hatch opened with a hiss, leading onto a rickety catwalk. The left area was empty, but on the right...   


The AC Dalriadan, named after the first Scottish King, Raven Cross' direct ancestor, was of a light AC design. The lightest arm and leg parts, a blade made for speed, and a custom energy shotgun. The head was an LC 386 model 'SKYEYE' and was very reliable. It has great style, with a mainly red-over-black color scheme. The core was custom built by Kylia; the lightest overboost core, but with twin vulcan cannons between the neck and arm joints; a primitive variation of an exceed-orbit core. With that, there was plenty of room for the ICICLE radiator, the ROZ generator, and the FLEET boosters. It didn't have any shoulder-mounted weapons, instead, it has a pair of custom vernier engines, giving it remarkable maneuverability and a top speed of mach four.   


Raven looked in awe, his partner shimmered from the few spotlights that lit the area. It should be no problem to reach the arena in minutes.   
Raven headed to the core's hatch, and stopped at the front. "Open," he said, and the mechanical savior hummed to life, the hatch quickly opened, allowing Raven to enter.   
This is the only thing that makes it all worthwhile. To him there isn't anything that sounds as beautiful as the song of the AC. It isn't simply a tool, a mere instrument, but rather an extension of himself. Being in the field is only time he feels free, alive, himself. Almost like he fuses with the machine to take on a completely different personality. Raven soon finds himself falling asleep to the stirring, mechanical heartbeat of the Dalriadan.   
A moment later, the Raven is startled at his own command of opening the hangar doors. The AC dropped out the back of the craft, and he smiled as it shot off into the horizon.   


  
CHAPTER 1   
WAKENING   
  
Gustave can sense the heated anticipation among the ranks, especially swelling in the Beta formation lining the west ridge. His clan, the Engelhaft, has suffered bitter losses as of late, and many of the rosters have been flooded with new recruits to compromise for their diminished force. Supplies and resources have been dwindling too, which is the sole reason for this operation.   
With an itchy finger, he opens a private channel with the unfortunate commander of the green Beta squadron. "Alicia, you have my deepest sympathies, but if your goats don't simmer down I'll give them something spicy to chew on."   


A static chuckle rumbles through the speaker, as Alicia answers, her irritable tone crackling through the gritty interference. "Gustave, a particular pair of these irksome tyros are really pressing me to question whether or not it's worth the effort to discharge my weapon on subordinates."   


Gustave stifles a sharp laugh, and decides to play with Alicia's less than enthusiastic mood, "I'll see to it that the couple are promoted, should they survive the ordeal."   
"That's not funny." is her response, sounding more like a growl. Surprised, Gustave can't tell if it indeed was, or if it was just the grainy interference again. "Why did I get stuck with them? Aren't you the favorite?" Alicia complains.   


"I've never been good at baby-sitting, and besides, you have that motherly charm about you."   


"Oh shut up." she replies, disgusted.   


Gustave's attention briefly shifts as a couple of red bleeps flicker into range on his radar display, bathing his cabin in a faint red glow.   


"Not to worry Alicia, the scouts have returned. You'll get your space soon enough; chalk it up to accidental friendly-fire if the itch warrants."   


Gustave drums his fingers on the dormant console, watching the two dull titans weave through tree and brush alike to reach his position, perched along the east ridge. The scout units are humanoid in shape, supporting sharp, angular, lean frames. Their forms are blotched with natural shades of dark olive and sage, thrown into eerie silhouette by the sun setting low in the west. The sanguine light streams over the shoulders of the scouts' machines—to their advantage, as it obscures Gustave's immediate vision. One of the units comes to a halt before Gustave's dormant machine, while the other continues its haste towards the rear of Alpha force, dancing effortlessly between trees and foliage.   


"Leader-1, this is Scout-1 reporting." The pilot's voice is meek, his words quivering. "All the outside defenses are automated, which consist of only those six batteries, two posted on each wall, turrets grouped around them. We couldn't evaluate the defenses beyond the wall. We weren't detected."   


"Good, get to the rear and power down. Be sure to remind Charlie company to wait for my signal in case reinforcements arrive." Gustave replies in a firm, instructive tone. With an eager grin tugging at his lips, he reestablishes his connection with Alicia, his fervent fingers already powering up his Core's fusion engine.   


"Alicia, it's the typical layout, ready your herd of goats, rockets in single volleys at each battery, spread the word. Cutting communications."   


"Yes sir!" Alicia's satisfied voice frizzles out.   


Within moments, Gustave's AC, the Maquis, emerges from her forest refuge, turning southward. Gears turn and crackle, actuators flex, testing the weight they bear. She exhibits a cryptic presence, induced partly from the formidable paint scheme. Deep silver encloses the machine, with red wisps flowing about the body and arms. The other half of the AC's striking appearance stems from its sheer size. The Maquis is supported upon powerful quadruped legs, fitted with capable, firm arms, and a stalk head, all mounted on a distinctive, tapered overboost torso. The beast purrs with smug authority, armor gleaming in the last of the dying sunset's light.   


A thunderous roar ensues as Alicia's squad leaps up simultaneously from the shadowy forest cover. The Maquis strikes out a path overlooking the base's eastern wall, out of range, making a careful arc in order to swing around and attack from the northern front. Charlie company would provide cover fire on his command in the case enemy reinforcements arrived; that way, the Mirage forces would be overwhelmed between the two threats. A barrage of rocket volleys collides a second later with the Mirage base defenses. Concrete and metal crumble, collapsing under the siege—two batteries successfully destroyed, and a gaping hole left in the wake. Alicia's aggressive AC, the Reinhart, leads the assault. She is a fearsome machine, her strength demanding respect and awe, which is no less evident in her pilot's mastery of the lavender-clad creature.   


What am I doing? Am I going to let her have all the glory?   


Gustave fiercely tightens his grip on the controls and launches the Maquis forward with previously hidden velocity, his squadron in hot pursuit. Within moments, Gustave enters the fray, his AC easily dodging the enemy's counterattack. Alicia's team thunders forward, trading brilliant emerald and ruby light for machine gun and autocannon fire.   


A whip of violent blue energy lashes out from within the confines of the wall breach, almost striking the Maquis's left shoulder armor, but instinct prevails and the Maquis springs clear of the bolt, only for it to slice through a machine trailing him. The cadet staggers, his AC's shoulder actuator ripping free from its metallic socket.   


Gustave reels around, engaging the Maquis's booster jets; jade tinted flames spill out from her back. The creature rises high into the air, enemy shells harmlessly missing their mark. With a keen eye, Gustave makes out the gleam of weapon fire reflecting off an enemy's armor. He steadies his aim before a cluster of shells burst from the mouth of his machine gun, nestled in the Maquis's right arm. The automated MT erupts with a ghostly display of flames. Two more cuddle between the cramped gap before they, too, are swiftly stricken down.   


The Reinhart's squad reaches the bottleneck first, stepping through a pair at a time. Alicia's larger, bulkier machine has a harder time of it, costing her a half ton of armor lining her right torso by machine gun fire. The Reinhart shakes off the searing fragments, returning the gesture with artificial lightning leaping from her twin-linked shoulder cannons, shuddering backward from the immense recoil of the attack. Once inside the Mirage industrial complex, the fresh-bred pilots mount a somewhat effective offense, now able to bring their mid-range weaponry to bear.   
Safe from any immediate danger, Gustave maneuvers to rope off his unit, opening up a private channel.   


"All right, it's going to get cramped in there fast, we need to take out those remaining batteries and any other potential threats. Otherwise, Beta formation will be in trouble. Durlan, Owen, Luica, you're with me. Arius, you take charge of Rohen, Lugen, and Amara. Take out the gun batteries on the west perimeter, my wing is taking the east face. Let's move!"   
Gustave's party rounds the bend, the Maquis leading the force, staying within a tight diamond formation. His eyes follow his targeting reticule as it clasps with a golden glow over the signature of a fortified gun emplacement looming grimly along the ridge of the complex wall. A group of cannon turrets huddled sulkily at its base. Taking initiative, Gustave breaks formation. He doesn't get far; alarms within his cockpit blast out an empathic wail, several threats suddenly freckling on his HUD radar display. In quick succession, vague profiles of each unit flash across the monitor. Gustave struggles to absorb as much information as possible before he must engage.   
A piercingly familiar siren rings within the confines of his machine, indicating a weapon lock. Gustave wrestles vigorously with the controls of his titan, barely escaping the wrath of an autocannon slug grazing his right hind leg, though not swift enough to evade a barrage of machine gun volleys peppering his left foreleg.   


Four MTs touch down squarely before Gustave's AC, reinforcing their protective stance with frigid, daunting stares. The clan pilot promptly surveys the potential threat, noticing this specific group of MT's possesses a more hearty set of armor than a typical Mirage unit. They are humanoid in build, having seemingly bland designs, not invoking the sheer awe an AC's presence commands. Still, the pilots of Gustave's wing yield for a brief moment, uncertain.   
Suddenly Gustave's train of thought shifts abruptly, a distinct creaking of gears grasping his attention—the gun batteries! Out of the corner of the projected cockpit screen he could make out the north perimeter batteries, turrets rotating to target Alicia's squadron!   
Alicia... Suddenly, she was the only thing he could think about. What invoked this sudden emotion, this feeling of anxiety over the well-being of his comrade? Surely it couldn't be an attraction; they'd never shared anything close to being considered romantic. But it is there; foreign as it is, it still binds him still.   


A frustrated Durlan channels his emotion into Gustave's ear, his voice rendered inaudible by the channel static, though remaining just as powerful. Gustave's compassion and concern twist, conjuring into a consuming fire as he cuts off his wing men from the enemy opposition, using the Maquis as a barrier.   


"They're mine," he growls eerily. "Get to those batteries now, I'll preoccupy these guys. It's the only way."   


Gustave prayed that will be enough; Alicia's formation wouldn't be able to hold out if those turrets opened up on them. Gustave shudders at the thought. Sure enough, Durlan and the other wing mates reluctantly back off, turning to scale the concrete fortification, riding superheated jets of plasma. One of the enemy MTs branches off to intercept, but hesitates submissively as the Maquis's linear cannon bellows a stern warning shot. The temperature within Gustave's machine jumps tremendously at the energy-consuming release; Gustave hardly notices though, his body already hot and ready.   


"Let's play," Gustave utters through a low-power burst transmission, curious if the automated fiends can understand.   


Igniting his Core's booster jets, Gustave races forward, the scream of four lock-on alerts in his ears. His shoulder-mounted linear cannon sizzles with anticipation.   


Alicia's circumstances however, are more in her favor. She smiles in satisfaction at her targeting reticule snapping to the crimson red of hard lock. A pair of eager missiles leaps from the Reinhart's extension missile rack, colliding fatally with her acquired target.   


The attack is progressing surprisingly smooth; she predicts that in little time her forces would take the facility. She is more so impressed with the ability of her fresh-bred pilots, taking advantage of the urban-like environment. They have utilized the cramped, sharp architecture as a shield to limit energy consumption to a minimum, keeping their temperatures in check.   


Well, at least the attack is going well on her front; she can't help but dread the possible fate of Gustave's unit, since they have to maintain radio silence, resorting to only short-burst contacts when necessary. Then Alicia feels quite foolish at her worries— Gustave is a strong soul, always has been, and always able to fend for himself, no matter the situation. Strange that she hadn't thought of him till this moment, having lost sight of his machine from the get-go. Gustave is a wild card, she told herself, usually he doesn't even log a proper engagement plan, Probably one of the many privileges of being Engelhaft clan's rising star, Alicia scoffs sarcastically to herself; sometimes Gustave can really repulse her. Through brash, she couldn't outright ignore his impressive battle record. Then again, protocol is established for a reason, that will be his downfall. It's silly to worry over him, she thinks, I have enough frustration managing my own burdens anyhow.   


Seeeeeeth. . . zthang!   


Making that one less burden, an enemy MT falters just enough to be caught in the ruby ferocity of the Reinhart's twin laser lances; Alicia wincing from the kickback of her assault.   
Stupid!   


Gustave rasps for breath in the scorching cockpit, the temperature spiking as the fusion generator strains to meet the energy demand of an eager linear cannon discharge. No matter how much reinforced armor stood between a warrior and the battle, many pilots had in the past been done in by the soaring temperatures that flooded the cockpit, transforming the vessel specially built to protect a pilot's frail life into a flaring hot oven in a mere second.   


The clan warrior fights to remain conscious in the blistering heat, only to be rocked savagely against his four-point restraining harness as another salvo of enemy fire bites into the Maquis. The heat sinks installed within his machine slowly bleed off the excess heat, as Gustave's cooling vest delivers instant relief. Mind now clear, he seeks pleasure in sinking his energy-sword deep into the chest cavity of his assailant, sufficiently gutting the MT.   


The manic thrill is short-lived, another target presenting itself; its weapon lock setting off a pulsing siren inside Gustave's helmet. Sporting ample speed, he frees his brilliant beam-sword with a crackle, throwing the entire weight of his machine vehemently against the automated aggressor. Gustave's sword surprisingly scores thin across the MT's core; in exchange the Maquis suffers a direct hit to her left torso. An uneven trade, but Gustave's machine possesses a distinct advantage with its sturdier armor. The Maquis's attack, mild as it was, is still enough to have breached the MT's thin mantle of armor, carving into its critical internal components.   
Gustave again fights with the awkward controls of his machine, not willing to surrender her to a catastrophic collision if gravity has its current course. That last risky maneuver threw her completely off balance, relying entirely on the mass of the MT to cushion the impact. Unfortunately, the Maquis's strike sent both machines spiraling to the ground, the MT crushing itself under the sheer tonnage of its frame. Gustave will not let his beloved giant suffer the same demise.   


Throwing a sharp contortion into the Maquis's gyro, Gustave is able to brace the shock of the fall along the Maquis's left side, armor plating crunching under the tremendous force. Quite rattled and blurting out a very colorful array of curses in his native clan tongue, Gustave battles to restore his creature's equilibrium.   


The topple has bruised him badly, especially at the point where his restraint harness crisscrosses over his chest. Ugly red blemishes cover his arms, places where he was battered painfully against the metal shell of his cockpit. Stabbing pains pulse through his body, his arms arching and sore from the strenuous labor of battle.   


I'm letting this draw out too long, he thinks, I need to get to Alicia.   


The remaining MT couple doesn't sympathize with Gustave's aches and pains, both igniting their booster jets to advance upon their stunned prey. Gustave grins ravenously, his reddened cheek twitching in dull pain. "Juin kayto reit yan," he utters, falling back on his native tongue. _I have you now_. With new found energy Gustave grips the controls vigorously, only for the Maquis to shudder with a violent convulsion, sending the mighty beast to it's knees. Flashes of crimson red pulse across Gustave's HUD, revealing the grim situation at hand. The Maquis's damage schematic confirms his fears. His machine's left foreleg is completely crippled, a deep fracture running through the internal structure of the limb, her left hind leg is useless too, the actuators frozen from the knee joint down; all because of that fall!   


SSSEEEThhhanik!!!   


One of the MTs buries its whirring energy-saber into the metallic flesh of Gustave's machine, molten armor oozing from the wound. Luckily, The blade strikes just shy of the vital shoulder joint, along with the power feed to the Maquis's right arm. Gustave screams in rebuke, letting loose with his machine gun at pointblank range. The MT buckles and tumbles backward, its gyro ravaged by the fury of the salvo.   


Knowing the last MT must be within close proximity, Gustave summons the Maquis's booster jets, rising somewhat lopsidedly into the air. The painful wail of an enemy lock-on sounds off in his helmet, moments before simmering scarlet light carves deep into the already exposed wound in the Maquis's right shoulder; rendering the arm useless.   


Gustave curses, trying to manage his perilous flight with all the dead weight. His own sense of balance feeding through his SRI helmet into the Maquis's struggling gyro, he is able to correct the machine's slack posture, successfully feather boosting out of his enemy's line of sight. Insidiously he drops behind the MT, switching his weapon systems to the Maquis's back-mounted linear cannon.   


"No sympathy."   


The automated MT barely has time to reel around before it's trampled by a immense surge of pure energy, profusely dealt by the Maquis.   


For the next couple minutes Gustave lies sprawled over his cockpit chair, breathing steadily; letting the tremors in his spent body subside. Awhile later, the Maquis staggers off to rejoin its wing.   


What a surprise Gustave got once his forces finally penetrated the outer wall, having been preoccupied with the remaining batteries, to find Alicia and her 'goats' standing proudly in formation. They had not lost a single pilot, while Gustave's squadron had suffered two seriously damaged machines,(Not including his own) as well as one with an amputated arm, and another mauled beyond salvage. Fortunately, all four pilots had escaped severe injury, but Gustave could swear there was a smug grin on the Reinhart's tin face.   


"Charlie company?" Gustave broadcasts on a standard channel, a hint of bitterness in his tone at Alicia's triumph, "We've mopped up all remaining forces, there isn't any sign of enemy reinforcements, send in the transports."   


There is a gritty moment before the Charlie company commander's voice crackles through, "Understood, moving in."   


After that, Alpha and Beta formation are divided between surveying each individual Mirage warehouse, browsing through a wide buffet of ammunition stores, spare parts and some new weaponry. Stocking the transports with an ample haul, Clan Engelhaft departs, the Reinhart leading the way. The wounded Maquis drags along the rear, Gustave watching the single proud North Star hang with it's authority in the night, small, more delicate stars hovering close, wishing to be as bright as their idol.   


Wait...   


Before any of the troops realize it, the sky blazed with fire coming from F-22 fighters and AC bombers.   


"Shit! I thought there weren't going to be ANY reinforcements," shouted Gustave, as he raced into the sky. But before he noticed, a bomber let off a bomb right on top of the Engelhaft clan. Right before his eyes, the clan melted away in the explosion. Alicia tried to contact Gustave, but all he heard was her shouting in pain. In an instant, Gustave was the last member of the Engelhaft alive, as he charged the enemy forces alone.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Vengeance

  


Chapter 2   
VENGEANCE

  
In a hallway at Kisaragi HQ, former site of Old Tokyo, two figures were having a conversation. The lights were turned off against the dim evening light seeping through large transparisteel windows on the left side of the hallway. One was a short scientist, the other a taller corporate female.

  
"I don't think you fully understand the political situation Mirage finds itself in these days. A flash point like Crest gaining the space satellite... especially with Engelhaft involvement... will bring this whole thing to a boil. Particularly if we can give it the proper nudge." the scientist stated.   
"The situation among the Corporation is not the issue," Fiona countered coldly. Fiona Tierney was a corporate representative to one Roihclem Rath. "It's the state of Kisaragi you don't seem to understand. Simply tearing the other corporations apart isn't going rebuild the New Order. We need a focal point, a leader around whom the Kisaragi forces can rally. Too bad the last one we had was one of the best."

  
"Suppose I could provide such a leader. Would you be willing to join us?" Jun said. He was a recent graduate of the AI institute of LC 086.

  
Fiona eyed him. "Who is this 'us' you refer to?"

  
"If you join, there would be three of us," Jun said. "Three who would share the secret I'm prepared to offer you. A secret that will bring the final Layered cities on the Eurasian continent onto our side."

  
Fiona smiled cynically. "You'll forgive me, General, if I suggest you couldn't inspire blind loyalty in a drugged canine."

  
Jun felt a flash of anger. How dare this common betrayer?   
"No," he said, practically choking out the word from between clenched teeth. Fiona was hardly a common betrayer, after all. More importantly, Jun desperately needed a woman of her skills and training. "I would merely be the political power behind the throne. Plus the supplier of military men and material, of course."

  
"From the Tenlos Syndicate?"

  
"And other sources," Jun said. "You, should you choose to join us, would serve as the architect of our overall strategy."

  
"I see." If Fiona was bothered by the word "serve," she didn't show it. "And the third person?"   
"Are you with us?"

  
Fiona studied him. "First tell me more."

  
"I'll do better than tell you," Jun said, "I'll show you."

  
Jun led the way down the rightmost corridor. It ended in a dusty metal door with a wheel set into its center. Gripping the edges of the wheel, Jun turned it; and with a creak that echoed eerily in the confined space the door swung open.

  
The previous owner would hardly have recognized his one-time torture chamber. The instruments of pain and terror had been taken out, the walls and floor cleaned and carpet-insulated, and the furnishings of a fully functional laboratory installed.

  
But for the moment Jun had no interest in the chamber itself. All his attention was on Fiona as she stepped into the room.   
Stepped into the room...and caught sight of the room's single occupant, seated in the center in a duplicate of a regeneration chamber, filled with healing fluids and connected to glowing status screens.   


Fiona froze, her eyes widening with shock, her entire body stiffening as if a power current had jolted through her. Her eyes darted to Jun, back to the pod, flicked around the room as if seeking evidence of a trap or hallucination or perhaps her own insanity, back again to the chamber. Jun held his breath...   


Jun Cosado watched the pod with extreme interest after he enjoyed Fiona's expression of anxiety. He had much invested in the survival of this patient. If all went as planned, this man would be his key to obtaining the power that he so richly deserved. The next few minutes would play a vital role in the future of the newly formed Kisaragi.   


For the better part of the last month, all of the vital functions of the patient's body had been performed by complex machines which Jun himself had designed. While the machines did their work, various drugs (also developed by Jun) were administered to the patient. These drugs had the power to greatly increase the body's ability to heal itself. The patient was ultra-sonically scanned several times each day to track the progress the drugs were making with his battered and broken body. The last scans had indicated that it was time to return, at least in part, some of the patient's vital functions to his own body. Respiratory and circulatory functions would once again be performed by the patient's own body, although for a while there would still be a need for some degree of artificial stimulation. Even with Jun's miracle drugs, injuries as severe as this man's took quite a while to heal.   


Jun had plenty of time. Let the children and old fools who had taken charge of Kisaragi be lulled into complacency. All good things were worth a wait. When the time was right, he would use the man in the rejuvenation pod to once again show those fools what war and bloody monopoly were all about! He had already proven himself to be quite good at it. Never mind that preceding his supposed death he had spoken much of peace and the protection of his beloved home, Jun had given him his life back. Because of that, he would do anything Jun asked of him. Gratitude of such magnitude had that kind of effect on a man. This one would be no different.   


The physician who had been performing the actual surgery entered the observation room. He spoke quietly to Jun and Fiona. "The surgery was a success. All of the patient's vital signs are remaining within normal ranges. His injuries are healing quite rapidly. It may be only a matter of months before he begins to have brief periods of awareness. I never thought we could do this!"   
Jun smiled. "You should have more faith in me. I do not fail in my efforts. Of course he will survive."   


"Perhaps we should inform someone of his condition. He was reported to have died in battle," the young surgeon suggested.   


"No, not at all," Jun replied quickly. "It is still much too soon. Although some would be pleased to know that he still lives, there are yet others who would wish him harm. I have no desire to see my efforts destroyed. I alone will decide when the time is right to inform the public of his survival!"   


The young physician suppressed a shiver. Jun seemed to have completely forgotten the humanity of the patient. To him the man was no more than an experiment in medical technology.   
The young surgeon felt differently. He remembered the patient as a man of honor and integrity. Although he may not have always agreed with the man's methods, he knew that their patient had always been fair in his dealings. He also knew that the man had a great capacity for love and kindness, despite the fact that many of his actions appeared to be extremely cruel and blood-soaked.   


The surgeon was glad that they had been able to save this man, but now he was afraid of what motivated Jun's actions. He was certain that it was not compassion. He wondered what the future would hold for the man that they had saved.   


The young surgeon would never learn the answers to his questions. As soon as he left the observation room, Jun placed a discrete call to a friend who would arrange an unfortunate accident for the far too compassionate young man. He would survive until the end of the week. It was a shame that this had to be done. He was a talented man and would be difficult to replace, but Jun would not let anyone interfere with his plans. The young man had become too great a risk.   
With that unpleasant task finished, Jun once again turned his attention to Fiona. "You see, nothing will stand in our way. You may have your way with him in terms of politics, but when you are done be assured that together we will give Gustave Macross a one way ticket straight to Hell."   
"Excellent, all the cards are in place." Fiona thought to herself, "All I need to do is report Kisaragi's R&D activities, contact Roihclem, and sit back as I enjoy the transitory Eurasian government's actions." and little-known to her, in the pod, inside the mind of the former Engelhaft clan leader, malicious thoughts of sweet revenge swum through his unconscious mind.   


***  
  
  
Exile was waiting near the reservoir. He has had it with losing to Roihclem over and over again. He has lost his pride, his title, and his self-esteem. Most corporations have turned him down on arena loans, challenging a raven from another Layered was his big break. Less than 8000 AP, a shotgun, shouldn't be difficult, he thought to himself.   
His black hovering AC loomed in the shadow of the dam, his stolen nuclear generator in place. Stolen, or borrowed without a security deposit, from LC 086's Tenlos Syndicate. It wasn't clear to him whether they'd hunt him down for it, but he'd escaped from certain doom more times than he wanted to remember.   


His thoughts were on tweaking his radar display, but they were almost instantaneously interrupted by a radio transmission. "...This is Raven Cross, accepting challenge from Exile. Battle 882 commencing, do you confirm?"   


Exile switched his AC into battle mode, checked to see if everything was functioning correctly, and radioed back, "Yes, I confirm."   


He immediately boosted into the light, searching for the red Dalriadan. He couldn't see it, and it wasn't on his radar. "Could he have an optic camouflage unit, no..." Exile was even more confused. More afraid. He knew slim to nil about his opponent. Then something hit him, he hadn't even checked to make sure he was in the designated battle area before he revealed himself. "What a fool," he thought. "I'm such a damn fool."   


He was right about that, Raven could see his opponent from the other side. Too far for him to show up on Exile's radar.   


Raven engaged his overboost unit, shot off towards his quarry. The sudden burst of acceleration pushed him into his pilot chair, almost pried his fingers from the engagement lever on the upper-right side of his cockpit.   


Exile saw the flash of pale blue light spewing from the Dalriadan, engaged his CROW unit, and waited for a target lock. Once his yellow brackets turned red, he fired his machine gun while overboosting to his right.   


Raven anticipated that he would activate his stealth unit. Any pilot would. He launched himself up into the air at 400 kilometers an hour, past the range of Exile's FCS. The panel on the ceiling to the upper-left controlled the prototype Exceed Orbit units. Controlled... he didn't like that word. Requested a friend to defend, that was better. He requested the vulcan cannons on the shoulders spring to life, letting loose a fury of orange-yellow needles down onto the planet. He didn't need a lock-on. Look and shoot, that was one of the habits he lived by. A good strafing FCS came in handy, but from this point of engagement, he didn't need it.   


The bullets found home. Exile jerked around his controls as he was being pummeled, trying to gain back some control. The majority of the barrage tore off his right arm and most of his armor. One string shot straight through into his hover drive. The AC shuddered, then collapsed onto the water, rendering it immobile for the most part.   


Exile looked around for some sign of hope. This was his last chance, and he blew it. All was silent, the Dalriadan landed in front of the main screen. Exile looked at his victor, wondering if his computer had been shot as well; he didn't hear the female voice calmly say "Defenses damaged, halting combat..." command.   


The Dalriadan walked forward. "No, impossible...?" Exile questioned himself. The AC should've stopped moving altogether, victory was his! Why is it still coming towards him?   


Over the comm, he could hear a slight chuckle. It was Raven. "Exile of LC 386, you have not paid your dues to whomever lent you that nuclear generator. Uranium isn't all to common, you know. But since this match will obviously be investigated by the arena committee, there can't be any evidence that such a device is available. It is my mission, then, to personally revoke your raven license. Those were the orders I was given from the Tenlos Syndicate. I'm sure Union will have a field day with this," Raven stated as he thrust his speedy beam saber into the torseau of the immobile AC.   


Raven boosted away at incredible speed, out of the arena, in time before the ruptured generator coolant left the reactor core. The thermal energy released soon after left a large crater, destroying the dam, evaporating most of the reservoir water. The river poured back into the gap after the initial explosion, a torrential booming sensation and sound vibrating inside Ravens pod. The valley and Crest-owned towns nearby were consumed.   


Raven Cross' mission was a success, a war had started.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  



	3. Intrusion

  
CHAPTER 3   
INTRUSION   
  
Kylia was waiting for Raven as soon as he docked the Dalriadan. She was sitting in the same chair she was in when he left, reading a 'breaking news' headline on the front terminal. It read "Mirage declares war on Crest!" and "All that was gained soon to be lost; Kisaragi takes advantage!"   
Raven sat down next to her. He opened a slide-out glowing pad next to his chair and spoke into his armrest consol, "Coffee, hot." A styrofoam cup materialized out of thin air on the pad with steam rising from the fresh coffee. A product of the Corporate Sector Authority.   


He took the cup, about to drink it, when he noticed Kaori's eyes were focused on him. "What?" he asked in a droll manner.   


She sighed, "What's with you? Not even a 'hello Kaori'? You're manners are appalling, ever since you've beaten the arena! There's no reason for you to be completely cold-hearted."   


"I have a reason!" he shouted. "Ever since Forever Zero decided to fight to the death. I was only a raven for two months! I had to kill for the first time, I... watched him... die..."   


Kaori realized that she had forgotten this fact, "...I'm sorry."   


"I tried to make him stop fighting, but he said if he lost, he'd die anyway. I don't know who he was sponsoring at the time. Something died in me then... I couldn't tell what." he put down his coffee. "Then I started on my first mission. An AC showed up, and I had to kill him as well. I continued to kill for Pioneer on missions covered up as Arena flukes. I've seemed to loose a part of my soul each time, and I've been emotionless just so I don't feel that horrible sensation ever again!"   


"Was it the same with Exile? Why him?"   


"I don't really know why I had to kill him! I don't know why I did it, I didn't know why I liked it, and I don't why I'll probably do it again!"   


Kaori got up out of her chair, "Hey, hey! Calm down!"   


"I AM CALM!"   


Kaori put on her innocent and cute face, started to point at Raven and make circle shapes in the air with her finger, "Brother, we are not being completely honest with ourselves, now. Are we?"   


Raven got an angered expression on his face.   


"Let's see a smile! Come on now... come on!"   


The face that Kaori had, combined with her joyfulness, Raven couldn't help but crack a little smirk after feeling abashed about lashing out like that.   


Kaori continued, "That's right, happy thoughts! Apple pie, and funny words like spoon and... Fahapugagh!"   


"Kaori, are my methods... unsound?"   


"Well, I don't see... any method... at all. The killing part's gotta stop, though. However, I do have a new assignment from this LC's second corporation of Crest!"   


"...This may be off-topic, but do you believe that there's anyone watching our actions... from above?"   


"Sometimes I think that the surest signs that intelligent life exists elsewhere in this universe is that none of it has tried to contact us!"   


Raven somehow seemed pleased with her answer. Of course, the subject of God came to his head, not aliens, as he was sure Kaori was thinking of at the time. "Okay, what's this mission?"   


"Mirage wants us to destroy a prototype weapon of Kisaragi origin near their Avalon Hill. The obstruction there has now been confirmed as a space vessel that crashed into the LC before the Great Catastrophe, making the surrounding area a wasteland."   


"I see. Can I bring a consort?"   


"Yes, his name is Vulcan from LC 225."   


"A stone, eh? Am I right?"   


"Yeah, a heavyweight. Should be useful. Wait, weren't you friends?"   


Raven got up and walked to the loading bay. "Yeah, glad you remembered. He helped me through my first mission, and gave us both pointers on abandoned part whereabouts. It'll be good to see him again."   


***  


It all started, Raven was on a mission in the middle of nowhere and ran into some pretty bad resistance from ACs guarding a warehouse housing the top-secret Kisaragi prototype weapon sample he was supposed to destroy. For this mission Mirage contracted the aid of a longtime ally of Raven, an associate who goes by the codename Vulcan. He pilots the heavyweight AC Heavy Metal, using a powerful laser rifle and multiple missiles. We departed for this seemingly routine mission the day after the sorty was accepted and Kaori agreed that she'd pay Vulcan his portion of the credits earned upon completion of the mission.   


They arrived at the complex and found resistance from two unknown ACs, a heavy quadruped and a light reverse jointed AC. Vulcan told Raven to go in and complete the mission, so that he could handle the opposition out there. "Either way, I'm glad to see you're sister again!" Vulcan sarcastically spoke over the intercom.   


"That remark is punishable by slow torture and death by my standards!" Raven said with a grin.   


"Ah, yeah! Good to see ya too. There'll be plenty of loot for ya after I trash these two."   


While he pinned the other two ACs with firepower, Raven made it inside the compound. Upon entering the main complex he ran into the leader of this AC team in the large room which preceded the room that housed the target. This guy seemed well equipped, his tank AC was bristling with weapons, the only way to complete the objective seemed to be through him.   
He was motionless in his heavy AC, not moving but aiming, his shots were accurate as hell and he left Raven no room for error in his dodging. Closed quarters were not Raven's favorite of combat fields, since he could only use his speed to a limited extent without running into a wall or ceiling.   
After a while of trying to advance for close assault, but only being forced to recede and start dodging shots again, Raven was pretty irritated. However, the tank just wouldn't give up in his relentless assaults; chainguns, grenades, machine guns... he wasn't going to stop anytime soon. His large tank AC was hell, and this pilot was ruthless. Raven finally took a chance and overboosted toward him quickly, then veered to the right, barely dodging a large grenade. This risky maneuver gave Raven a brief opening to knock the large chain gun off of his opponent's left shoulder with a blade slash, sending sparks flying everywhere. The enmy AC seemed to have been malfunctioning after doing this.   


Raven then quickly sliced off his right arm which held a 1000 round machine gun with an upward slash. While the enemy was in a shocked state Raven tore off the grenade launcher on his back with the Dalriadan's bare hands. The pilot replied to Raven in a confused yet gruff voice, "How... how did you...?"   


Raven backed away from him, "You are no more of a threat to me, you have failed your mission, now leave. If you oppose me again I will be forced to destroy you. You are weak for not being able to harness the full potential of your AC, thus you were too much of an easy target."   
The tank slowly turned as sparks flew from his ruptured arm then overboosted away and replied "You... You got lucky you cocky bastard!"   


Raven watched the damaged tank boost out of the large door as a black smoke trail followed. 

"You coward, a true warrior wouldn't run from death in battle and blame his failure on bad luck..." Well anyway, it's time for the completion of this mission, he thought. Still though, why did they hire such a large amounts of ACs to guard this? He wondered how important this new "prototype" weapon was, the details acquired in the mission briefing were scarce to say the least.   
After standing there for a moment contemplating, he turned and proceeded to the door the AC was previously guarding. It would not open due to his lack of a hacking function. He activated his blade and stabbed the powerful blue beam into the midsection of the door, the door mechanism activated and it opened. Raven slowly walked inside, and in the back a dim light shone, and under it was something that surprised the heck out of him. Before him was a mechanism of which he'd never seen; it seemed ancient in design, and upon closer examination he found that it seemed to be some type of Dragon MT, complete with four wings folded over the body, and it was curled as if it was sleeping. Covering this dark green "machine" were large, strangely shaped thrusters on the wings, and individual shielding relays.   


Suddenly the dim lighting in the room faded, Raven could see nothing and instinctively started to back away from the device slowly. All of a sudden the large boosters began to emit a haunting red aura which filled the dark room with an eerie crimson glow. The room seemed to start to pulse around him, the walls almost moving, was he hallucinating? Soon the red energy started to glow even brighter under the machine. Raven backed away a few steps more then watched as this large creature, at least a dozen times the size of his AC started to crawl from it's cave. As Raven stood there in awe, soon after seeing the contraption start to rise, he got a message directly from Mirage, who had contracted him for this mission. "...Raven, destroy that thing before it becomes fully operational!!" He got a call seconds after from Vulcan, "Raven, what the hell are they talking about?!?"   


"Blast it, it's... too late…"   


The robotic monster let out a terrible roar, wrung Raven with fear as the compound started to collapse. The dragon's wings flapped out, causing the ceiling to shatter, allowing debris to harmlessly fall on it.   


Raven boosted out the way he came, and only Vulcan could see the beast emerge from captivity, stepping on the compound, crushing it under it's weight. It flapped it's massive wings, and with another roar, flew out into the sky at an incredible speed.   
Raven exited, saw the monster flap away, creating a massive gust of wind to send sand flying in all directions. Vulcan reached Raven through the static, "...Raven...th......hing is heade..f..or the LMC...!"   


"Understood!" Raven shouted as he engaged his overboost in an attempt to catch up with it, but was caught in a hail of fire coming from Kisaragi heavy-end MTs. Raven was caught with a heavy barrage of bazookas, Vulcan's signal went offline. The sudden jolt of his cockpit caused Raven to hit his head on the front screen. Raven looked at the broken glass, saw that he smeared it in blood, and fell unconscious.   
  



	4. Forever

  
  
Chapter 4   
Forever   
  
  
Kylia stood looking out the window to the courtyard. Although the desert landscape was beautiful, its beauty seemed empty to her. Perhaps, she thought, it was she herself that was empty. Ever since her arrival here three weeks earlier, nothing seemed real to her. She felt as though she had left a large piece of herself behind somewhere, and nothing she could find was able to fill the vast emptiness it left in her.   


It was foolish to feel this way, she knew. She had accomplished what she had set out to do. Raven's friend Vulcan was safe. She could see him walking in the courtyard below. He moved slowly, still awkward with the crutches that supported him. She moved away from the window. It hurt her to see him struggling so, even though she had been assured that he would recover fully from his injuries.   


When the LMC had fallen some six or so months ago, Kylia had been appalled at the way Vulcan had been treated. Being a young woman, she was horrified by the actions of Pioneer. They took her in, Kylia Cross, but left Vulcan to his own devices because he wanted revenge on the people who had destroyed his family and friends. Vulcan was not the total pacifist that his father was and wanted him to be. Kylia thought that this was a good thing. This was not a perfect world. Eventually every total pacifist was destined to suffer the same fate. Obviously Pioneer did not agree.   


Kylia had wished that she could take in Vulcan herself after the event, but knew that this was impossible. A mere med-tech Raven and her businessman husband, recently married soon after LMC's demise, were hardly suitable guardians for a Raven trying to heal.   


The one thing that Kylia knew she could do for him was to protect him and assure that he had his revenge. When Kylia spoke of this to her husband, he had laughed at her, calling her foolish. As a joke, he had paid for her to have fencing lessons, telling her that noblemen and chivalrous warriors quite often fought with swords and melee weapons.   


Kylia ignored the jest and accepted the lessons. In only a few months she could find no one with the ability to best her. Her instructors tried to persuade her to enter professional competition, but Kylia had declined, saying that her career as a Raven was too important for her to leave.   
Kylia eventually learned of the fate of the older LMC ravens through connections with her husband's company, Darcon Industries, a faction of Pioneer. they had been taken in by a military man by the name of Dastun. A widower with no plans for remarriage, he wanted them to be a benefactor for his army in the Layered city known as Paradigm.   


When Kylia was shown a photo of him and his friend Roger Smith, she was amazed at the appearance of the young 'negotiator'. Although he was only twenty-four years old at the time, he looked more like a kind person than a killer. He was dressed in the uniform of the military academy which he attended. His dark blue eyes were icy and serious. One of his hands rested on the shoulder of his young caretaker, Dorothy. The bond between the two was undeniable. It was also obvious that Roger was fiercely protective of the younger girl.   


She would have her revenge and Roger would help her every step of the way, of that Kylia was certain, since he was a raven and corporate negotiator. She was not certain, however, what role she would be playing in all of this. She was determined that she would have one.   


Darcon Industries eventually led her to her destiny. An independent development company of weapons, they thought that a raven would make an excellent test pilot for their new AC designs. Kylia's husband recommended her for the position, thus she learned to pilot all of the newest and most powerful ACs developed by Darcon. Her medical knowledge was invaluable to them in providing information on the effects of different cockpit systems on a pilot. She was also useful in determining the effects of various weapon systems on a human enemy.   


She soon became an extremely accomplished AC pilot. If they had known of her abilities, many armies and rebel groups would have begged her to join them. A moot point, since Kylia had her own agenda. She would use all of her abilities to help and protect Vulcan, but she would join no army. Darcon had provided her with everything she needed to act on her own.   


"Do you really think that he needs your help or protection?" Rico had once asked her. When she did not respond, he continued, "Even if he did, he would never accept it from you. he's nothing but a poor little soldier with no army. This war and all of its battles are nothing but a game to him. Not that I mind. He's providing use with quite a large source of income, don't you think?"   
Kylia looked with dismay upon the man whom she had once thought that she loved. Somewhere as the months had passed that love had died. She realized that the only love that Rico Dalton had was for money. As a salesman for a weapons company, this war between Crest and Mirage was quite the financial boon for him. It took a lot of nerve for him to say that the war was just a game for the rich, since to him it was nothing more than a business opportunity. Did he think that his position in this made him any better than Vulcan? She supposed that he did.   
A few weeks after their discussion about 'poor little soldiers', Kylia discovered the truth about her husband's business dealings. He was selling to all sides. She was appalled by this and confronted him about it. His response to her accusations made her blood run cold. "If I only sold to one side, eventually that side would become more powerful and defeat the others. I have to keep things even. There's too much profit in this to let it end."   


Too stunned to respond, Kylia had walked away. She was so disgusted that she never wanted to see Rico again. It was time for her to do something, she knew. The next day while he was out making his dirty she began to sift through his business records. This all took place three weeks prior.   


The records that Kylia sought were not difficult to find. In a matter of minutes she was looking at a list of names of people to whom Rico had sold either weapons or military technology. Following each name was contact information and the dollar amount of each of the transactions which that person had made with Darcon. As Kylia scanned the list, she discovered that many top officers in the Alliance Military had made extremely large purchases from Darcon. This did not surprise her. It was the names and purchase amounts that followed that shocked Kylia. Rico was quite literally giving weapons and technology to forces both on earth and in the Layered cities! She knew that he did this not because he supported their causes, but rather to keep the battles going and the money flowing into his bank account. At the end of the list was the information which Kylia had sought. She quickly scribbled the contact information for the Military Police Negotiator, Roger Smith, on a scrap of paper and stashed it in her wallet. With a few swift keystrokes Kylia was able to hide forever the fact that she had accessed this information.   


Satisfied that she had sufficiently covered her tracks, Kylia checked her own schedule for the day. She saw that she was scheduled to run two separate test flights using a new prototype cockpit system called ZG. The system had great potential, but it still frightened her. She did not like the direction that Darcon was taking in its development. Its purpose was to keep the pilot focused, not a bad thing in itself. It was the fact that the focus was placed on an enemy rather than an objective that disturbed her. It could turn a pilot into a virtual search and destroy machine. What was worse was that its effects did not wear off after the pilot left the suit, at least not totally. When she had voiced her concerns about this to the Darcon development teams, they told her that they did not view this as a problem so long as the pilot was not physically harmed by the system. It did not matter to them that even after leaving a suit, the pilot still felt an intense need to destroy the enemy. They might have felt differently if only they knew who it was that Kylia considered to be her enemy. She had been exposed to the effects of ZG many times and often had difficulty controlling its effects on her in her daily life. She wondered how much effect her exposure to ZG had on her plans for today.   


After she had completed the first test flight, still strongly influenced by ZG, Kylia took the action which set the current chain of events in motion.   


She sought an area were she would have privacy and brought out her portable communication system. She took the scrap of paper from her wallet and quickly keyed in the contact information for Roger Smith, adding a code which would scramble her image on his end of the com-link. When his image appeared on her vid-screen, Kylia trembled ever so slightly. He was young, handsome, powerful and determined, even more than she had expected. She would have to keep her personal feelings in check if she wanted to accomplish her goals. The sound of his voice returned her to her senses.   


"Who is this?" he asked, seemingly without malice or suspicion. "Your vid image is unclear and I am afraid that I can't recognize you."   


"I scrambled my image to protect both of us," Kylia replied. "You would not recognize me even if you could see me, as we have never met. I am a test pilot for Darcon Industries in LC 086 and I have information about my employer which I believe it is vital that you know." When she saw him nod, Kylia began to tell of all the double dealing that involved himself and Darcon. She gave him names, dates, and monetary amounts. She also told him of the cockpit system which she was currently testing and launched a tirade about its dangers if anyone were to get it into his head to use it on a large scale basis. Her message to him completed, she awaited his response.   


"You have confirmed what I have suspected for quite a while," he told her. "You do realize that giving me this information has put not only your job, but also your life in jeopardy. Do you wish for Military protection?"   


Kylia's response was swift. "I am a woman of many talents, Major Smith. Losing this job holds little significance to me. It would not be difficult for me to obtain another. As for my life, you know that I am an AC pilot, I am perfectly capable of protecting myself. I have been told that I am one of the best. I do not know if that is true, but I feel very little fear for my life."   


"I did not wish to offend you by my asking, but I would not want to see someone who has provided me with such information come to any harm," he explained. "I will take your word that you are capable of defending yourself. You must, however, tell me where you are."   


Kylia understood his request. "I am at Darcon's main headquarters on the test flight field. I just completed several test flights using the ZG system. I am scheduled to run several similar test flights on Kennedy Flight Field in about two hours."   


"Get the Hell out of there," Roger told her, "And don't show up for those additional test flights. Darcon is going to have some serious problems in about three hours. Do you understand?"   


"Perfectly," Kylia responded and broke the comlink. There was nothing to be gained from any additional contact. It could only put them at risk of being discovered. That was a risk that she was not willing to take.   


She loaded her two test suits, a flight MT and an AC, onto the carrier which Darcon had provided her for convenience. To all who saw her she appeared to be preparing to travel to Kennedy for the second round of test flights. Only she knew that instead she would be flying to a deserted airfield about three hundred miles away. She would spend the night there on the carrier. In the morning she would make her way to a nearby town to learn of the events which transpired during her flight. She knew that she would never return to her former life again, but she had no regrets. Her heart told her that she was doing the right thing.   


When she got to town the next day the first thing she did was find a newspaper. The headlines were exactly what she expected. Darcon's treachery was exposed and Rico Dalton was dead. When the tears finally came to her eyes they were not for her late husband. Rather, she cried because she knew that she must now leave her friend Vulcan. He was sure to realize that she had played a part in the attack on Darcon. She did not want him to feel that he had to live with the person who had arranged her husband's death.   


Pioneer would care for him, she was sure. Later, she would see an attorney to set up a trust fund for him. For now, though, all she sought was absolution for her sins, for she supposed that what she had done was a sin.   


She sought a priest in a small church in the town and asked him to hear her confession. The tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she told him of what she had done. She cried not out of regret, but because she knew that her life would never be the same and she had no idea where she would go from here.   


Amazingly the old priest gave her the answers she sought in his response to her confession. A truly wise man, he had told her, "My child, you have committed no sin. This is a time of war. It is sad that you and the man you once loved chose such conflicting positions, but these things happen. The true sin would have been if you had done nothing and let him continue doing his treacherous deeds. I know of a place where you can go for help and guidance in your plans for the future. It is called the Guardian Temple. In it you will find people of many different faiths whose desire is only to work together to protect all those on earth and the colonies who are in danger due to this ongoing war. It is a few miles outside the LC city limits. Go there, my child, and may God go with you!"   


Feeling that she had nothing to lose, Kylia decided to go to the Guardian Temple. Her carrier would have her there within a few hours. She was not sure if these people would be able to help her, but she knew that going there was the only way to know.   


When Kylia arrived at the Guardian Temple, she was truly surprised by the diversity of the members of the community. It's members included not only religious people of nearly every faith, but also members of the scientific and medical professions. The presence of these many different people gave credence to the old priest's words. Kylia decided to seek out the head of the community and ask for help. The worst that could happen was that her request would be refused, leaving her in the same position in which she was now.   


She was not refused, though, and the members of the Guardian community had helped her in many ways over the last few years The scientists had helped to develop ZG into a safer system by letting it place more emphasis on the preservation of the pilot's life, something which Kylia considered to be vitally important. They also helped her to convert a ruined AC into the most powerful suit that anyone could possess. Its computer, armor, and defensive systems could not be matched by any other AC in existence. She had named this suit the Angel Z because it was her intention to use it to act as a sort of guardian angel to the man who was calling himself Raven Cross, whom she hadn't seen since the fall of the LMC. However, she heard that he died during the mission that sent him to destroy Kisaragi's secret weapon Lucifer Dragon.   


Kylia was so deeply entrenched in her memories of the past that she did not notice her friend and mentor, Morning Star, enter her room until the woman placed her hand on hers. The young native American woman was a shaman for her people and wise far beyond her years. She had been more of an emotional and spiritual guide to Kylia over the past few months than any member of Kylia's own faith. Beyond that the two women had also developed a very close bond of friendship. 

Morning Star spoke softly to Kylia. "Vulcan wishes to see the one who saved him. What shall I tell him?"   


Kylia's response was terse. "Tell him that he was saved by an angel whose wings and heart have been broken. Angels require no thanks, and this one seeks to go far away to nurse her wounds. He has been given a second chance at being a raven. Tell him to use it wisely."   


"I will tell him what you have said," the younger woman replied. "It is clear that you are still deeply in mourning over the supposed death of Raven. You obviously had very deep feelings for him. Please remember this... his grave lies empty... his body was never recovered, and I do not feel the absence of his life force in this realm."   


Morning Star's words both shocked and wounded Kylia. Her response to them was almost instinctive. Her hand flew up to slap the other woman and her words were harsh and bitter. "How dare you presume to know what I feel! You must know that any woman capable of arranging her own husband's death is incapable of loving anyone. Dalton stripped that ability away from me long ago. Despite what some people may say, I know that Raven was a good man. He certainly did not deserve the death that he was dealt... and I heard him die when I secretly accompanied him on that mission. For all of the capabilities that I had, I wasn't able to do a damn thing to save him! All that I could do was watch him die. Do you understand?! I saw his death. Heard his final words. No one could survive what happened to the Dalriadan. I... watched... while... he ... died. I knew how he felt when he first killed..."   


Kylia's voice faded into a quiet sobbing as she spoke the final words. Morning Star, unaffected by Kylia's previous actions, reached out to her friend and held her while she wept. Kylia did not resist.   


It seemed an eternity to Kylia before she was able to compose herself enough to speak. She knew that she owed the other woman an apology. "I am truly sorry. I never should have slapped you. It's just that I've seen my whole world...my whole life ...fall to pieces these past few weeks. It seems that I no longer know my own heart. I've been a raven in this war for so long, in one way or another. I have no idea where to go from here now that it's over. I'm just so..."   


"Frightened," Morning star finished for her. "That is quite understandable, but I don't believe that there has been a true ending to war. The human heart will never change that much. I'm not even sure that it should. This particular war may be soon to end, but there will certainly be others. At that time we will all have need of soldiers who were not foolish enough to permanently put down their weapons. Until that time, I do know of a place where you might go to give yourself time to heal."   


"And where shall I go? What shall I do? What kind of place can offer solace to a wounded soldier such as myself?" Kylia asked. "My body may be whole but my heart is broken. I feel so empty inside. I've been told that time will heal me, but I don't believe there could be enough time to take this emptiness away."   


"The new LMC has formed a new raven policy. It is a sort of intelligence agency whose purpose is to curtail future conflicts on other Layered cities," Morrning Star explained. "This organization is in need of a person to head the medical operations on that new terra-forming project. They also have need of an experienced pilot to run carrier missions between the project and earth. You are qualified to fill both positions. You even have your own carrier craft. With our recommendations the organization would surely take you on. You will be quite busy and also quite far from all reminders of the past."   


Kylia walked to the window and once again looked out on Vulcan. At least she had been successful in saving that man. She supposed that she had no other choice. She had to get on with her life, painful as it may be. "Then recommend me to them. Perhaps being far from here is what I need to be able to go on," she told her friend.   


Morning Star smiled. "I thought that would be the way that you would feel. You have already been recommended. They were quite pleased to be able to fill two positions with one person. Your salary will be quite generous. You have a meeting with one of the leaders of LMC in three days time."   


"Then I suppose I should begin packing," Kylia said. "I'm quite certain that their headquarters are nowhere near here."   


"You are correct. Their main office is housed in the building that formerly was occupied by Corporate Sector Authority. You will have to return to Europe once more before you take your leave," Morning Star explained.   


"Raven's grave is in a cemetery just outside the city. Perhaps if you go there you may find some closure."   


Kylia ignored what was being implied by the reference to Raven's empty grave. "I shall go there," she said and turned away to begin packing her things.   


The trip to LC 086 had not been an easy one for Kylia. Her heart had called her to land her carrier far away, near the old Arena Base. There were many memories there that she needed to revisit.   
She traveled the rest of the way to 086 on a small motor bike, hoping that the wind blowing in her face would clear her tortured mind of her memories, and the new and painful discoveries she had made during the short time she was in the ruined Arena.   


As Kylia had stood outside the old base, she was amazed at how well the battle scarred grounds had already healed. Hardly any trace remained of the bitter and bloody battles fought there. Only in her own mind could she see the onslaught of the battles with those ghastly unmanned ACs and the fall of many of her friends in the so-called "Libra Militant Corporation" at the hands of that horrid Kisaragi beast, the Dragon MT. Because of her superior skills, Kylia and her AC had been able to survive and defeat many of the enemy ACs. It was not until Kisaragi had emerged in the dragon that she herself had her first taste of defeat. She knew instinctively that the suit was of Kisaragi design, and shuddered ever so slightly as she realized that Roger had not heeded the advice she had given him on that not-so-long ago day. She could tell by the way that the dragon fought later in the war that Roger or someone close to him had preserved the data on the ZG system and had installed his own version of it in the cockpit of this fearsome MT! She could also tell by the MT attack on members of both sides that it considered all who were fighting there to be his enemies.   


As the labeled "Lucifer Dragon" had approached her AC, she knew that it would be destroyed. She could still feel the wind blowing through her hair as she barely managed to exit the cockpit and leap free of the suit a fraction of a second before it was destroyed. She could do naught but stand by and watch when she forced her battered and bruised body up from its prone position. The ground was shaking from the intensity of the attack, and her beloved AC was engulfed in the flames of its destruction. A single tear made its way down her cheek. Most certainly a part of herself had died upon the destruction of her first AC. All that she could do at that point was to seek a place of safety until the battle reached its conclusion.   


On her way to the place of safety that she sought, Kylia had stumbled over the body of a fallen news photographer. His camera was still clutched in his lifeless hands. As Kylia stopped to close his sightless eyes and say a brief prayer, she couldn't help but wonder if the last photograph he had taken was worth the price he had paid to get it, his life. Unable to linger any longer she left the dead man's side to seek refuge in the cockpit of a fallen unmanned heavyweight AC.   
As she entered the suit, she realized that none of its physical structure had been severely damaged. In the cockpit she realized that the reason this suit was no longer functioning was merely because of damage to the computerized command system. With a few adjustments to the controls, she would once again join the battle using this suit in its original form as an ordinary AC. She was not worried about the specs being set for a non-human computerized pilot. She could force herself to meet them. In her years as a test pilot, she had forced herself to do much the same many times over.   


She wiped the thoughts from her head as she was driving down the last stretch of dirt roads, all that she should be focusing on is her path ahead.   
  
  
  
  



	5. Precambreian

Chapter 5

Megadeus

__

Paradigm city, otherwise known as LC 294, a city of amnesia. Forty years ago, the city's "Controller" was shut down. However, thought Roger Smith, _The Controller was linked into the minds of the city citizens. As soon as the people resurfaced, their collective memories were erased as unmanned ACs rampaged the city. Only a certain prototype AC, a Megadeus, procured peace once again. To our disadvantage, the memories are still lost. _

Schwartzvald once told me there's nothing outside of Paradigm city. Boy, was he wrong when an AC, a smaller version of a Megadeus from another country, flew over and reintegrated us with the outside.

Roger Smith, a corporate negotiator for Paradigm city, was recently hired by Mirage. For what, he didn't know, besides that it was outside of Paradigm. Nor did he really care; it was a blank check.

Dan Dastun was next to him as a 'chaperone,' "You never turn down offers, do you? Even if it's from your mortal enemy..."

"Can't afford to make exceptions. Once words gone out that a negotiator has limits, people question him and it's nothing but work, work, work, all the time!"

"You'll never survive this one!"

"Nonsense. You're only saying that because no-one else ever has."

"Exactly, what makes you think that you'll survive against what's outside the city?"

"You shouldn't worry about such things. Your job is to protect the city and the people outside the domes. You do _that_ well."

"Damn it, Smith! Our business is our own, same goes to the other cities! Don't get involved... Otherwise, the black megadeus won't be enough to save your hide this time."

"Oh, come on. The enemies we've been facing recently aren't nearly as powerful as a megadeus. What did they call them, MTs? Those things aren't even a match for the Military Police. If I'm going up against _them_, surely I'll be alright."

"Let's not have a slip-up if you learn anything... _foreign _this time."

"Hey! That's a low-blow. It's not my fault that the ZG system fell into the wrong hands..."

"Which is exactly what that good Samaritan told you NOT to do."

"It wasn't my fault!" Roger shouted.

Dastun let the subject die. "No... I guess not," but he had another thought, "Perhaps Angel was in on it. She _is_ from outside Paradigm, after all."

"Now don't bring her into this!"

Dastun looked at Roger, something was in his eyes. He guessed Roger knew more about Angel, being a negotiator. But that's besides the point; Angel is a conspirator, nothing more than that.

***

Jun Cosado had been waiting a long time for this; Gustave's recovery rate was through the roof! It would appear that his drugs had an added effect of rapid cell regeneration even without external aid. 

Fiona watched as well, this was the deciding moment. Today they were going to revive the Engelhaft leader. Cut off life support, drain the capsule, and hope that normal body functions will kick in. 

As soon as Jun cut the main power to the chamber, he was caught of guard as a hand smashed its way through the transparent aluminum. Gustave's eyes gleamed at Jun as he choked the life out of him. Cosado was withering in pain and fear. Blood trickled down his chin, random images of his life flooded his mind, and then he saw the much-debated white light. Fiona, also caught off guard, screamed in fear, but stood her ground. 

As soon as the last breath of air was squeezed from Jun, Gustave let him drop to the cold steel floor. Using his free arm, cleaved from the broken glass, activated the open switch for the pod. The damaged door squealed open. His arm recovered almost instantaneously.

Fiona let out a sigh of relief, knowing that her time had come to reveal herself again. "...I have come for you, my Liege."

Gustave looked at the woman with curiosity with regeneration fluid still dripping from his wet body. Did he remember her? Yes, he supposed he did. "Alicia Reinhart... you're alive..."

"Yes, I survived our clan's decimation. I waited six long months for you. I created a new identity, and fought among the corporation so I could see you again! It was all for you, my lord, and now I ask what is to be done now... I will even remake the Engelhaft, all for you."

"No," said Gustave abruptly. He had no more feelings for this creature. He was as much unaware of his past feelings as he was of his new ones. "You did it for yourself. Everyone fights for themselves, you are no different."

"No!" she shouted as she rose, "It was for you! I tried to destroy the Corporations from within, just as you intended, my lo-" Fiona, or now Alicia, was stuck in between words as Gustave grabbed her jaw, squeezing her cheeks. She was filled with some kind of energy, a dark energy, and it made her submit to her knees.

"You did it for me? Everything you have tried, and you have failed! And you dare to speak such _nonsense_ from this mouth of yours?" he said as he released his grip. 

Gustave turned his back to his former clan member, "You are completely useless to me, be gone from my sight!" he shouted as he walked away from the lab.

Fiona merely hugged herself and cried softly, her heart destroyed, her long-time companion dead on the floor... only now did she realize how important Jun was to her... and how foolish she was for keeping faith in a man that should've died a long time ago.

***

At Kisaragi HQ, the CEO Christov Ramirez, in a dark blue suit with no tie, set up a meeting pertaining to the rising tensions amongst the other board members. It is taking place in a large, dim, oriental-like chamber with a big rectangular table in the center. Red sunlight is seeping through the stained glass windows.

Christov opened the meeting minutes before, "...And as you are aware, the ZG has been installed in the Lucifer Dragon, as well as in our new heavy-end MTs. However, the Dragon has been moved into space to rendezvous with our newly-acquired space weapons satellite. The cannon is to be directly installed into it. Our flying fortress is soon to be complete, and the Martians should provide no interference, as long as we keep their existence secret..."

Then all board members heard footsteps. Christov turned his attention to the new intruder. He was wearing a red uniform with long military epaulettes. "I'm sorry, but the costume show is in another building. This is a meeting for the corporation only," said Christov.

A board member stood up to show him out, but Gustave kept walking, grabbing the member by the throat and dragging him across the floor towards Christov. "The Corporation? Well, I'm in luck. You see, I've come to join your... 'corporation'" he said as he threw the member back past the table. The lawyer kept his footing even though his throat hurt like hell. "And so you're all here... Where do I sign up?!"

Christov gave Gustave a skeptical look while staying calm in his chair. "Oh, I think I've had enough of you," he said as he looked away. The lawyer in the platinum suit pulled out a small magnum.

He fired, again and again, until Gustave was pushed up against the far wall. Bullet holes littered the glass window directly behind him. Gustave slumped on the ground with blood spewing forth like a fountain. Somehow, Gustave liked the coppery and salty taste of blood. Red, such a wonderful color, he thought. The color of life, love, and war.

The lawyer slid his gun away as Christov gave his applause. "Well, that was brilliantly done!"

But before the lawyer could sit back down, Gustave rose from his slumped state. Nearly jumping up, he let out a laugh of joy. "YES!!! That was great! That was great! Hahaha!" Then he walked nonchalantly over to the lawyer, who was stunned to the point that he couldn't move. Fear overtook him, his knuckles were white as bone. "You know, you guys! This is no way to treat your number one graduate. And you..."

Gustave opened his uniform to revel the bullet holes. "Heheh..." he said as he grabbed the manikin-like businessman and threw him on the desk. He grabbed the man's jaws and started to pull them apart. Christov was as white as a ghost as he heard the tearing of flesh and the scraping of bone. Then Gustave broke the lawyer's neck. He allowed the corpse to clatter on the black marble floor. 

Gustave took a seat next to Christov. He had a little blood sprayed on his blue business suit. Gustave looked into Christov's eyes, Christov could easily see the insanity at the back of Gustave's retinas. Gustave crumpled up a statistics sheet and threw the paper wad at another board member, all the while kept an insane smile on his face. The other members stayed in their seats, watching in fear how this would play out.

"Partners. I believe..." Gustave started, "that a business cannot be run without partners. This is a business, isn't it?"

Christov took a few moments to stutter out the answer, "Y-yes... it is...! I w-would like to think to think it's a good business. W-what do you want, exactly... p-_partner_?" 

"A challenge. I want a challenge. Find me the one responsible for ratting my clan out, and at the same time, find me the best AC pilot you can muster. Anyone in mind?"

"Y-yes..." Christov choked, "A-a pilot named R-raven C-c-cross! We have his best AC for new engine testing, w-we stole it six months ago."

"Ahhh... where is he?"

"W-we don't know... we think he might be dead."

"Nah," sighed Gustave. "If he's a challenge to me, he would still be among the living. He'll come for his AC, I know he will." said Gustave, as he shouted maniacal laughter down the Kisaragi halls.

***

"Are we in the right place?" asked the Mishima mission supervisor. Three AC pilots entered the derelict 086 Layered city, hired to pick up a certain material. The true client, however, was unknown.

"Yes, Supervisor, just in the next chamber." said General Kargin.

"Kargin, where in the world has Reese ran off to?"

"She stopped back a while earlier to check if she has everything." Kargin said as he looked at a digital watch map.

Supervisor Rein and the General were in a large mechanical exhaust shaft with a walkway leading to a small platform, where there was a locked door. Kargin's communicator rang...

_"...General, are you in position?" _A voice spoke.

"Yes, sir. Tell me, what is in the reactor that you want me to take out?"

"Who are you talking to?" Rein asked.

_"...There is a special kind of Gemini that the Layered scientists were creating before liberation." _The voice said again.

"Kargin, answer me!" Rein ordered.

_"...You are to take it and meet back at the carriers."_

Rein stepped back, "What, you're with them?!"

_"...If anyone is in the way, take them out."_

"Understood." Kargin said as he pulled out a gun.

"Wait, Kargin, just..."

_BLAM!!! _Kargin shot Rein right in the chest, and then shot the lock off the door. He walked in.

Reese came right up just then, and saw her father lying in a pool of blood. "Father, father! Did Kargin do this to you?!" she said, but her father did not hear. She saw his beam saber, and took it as she ran into the next chamber, tears flying.

A fourth AC pilot, hired to shadow the three pilots, ran in just after that, and also saw the Supervisor lying dead on the floor. Not that the money was good, one of the AC pilots that he was trailing was very close to him. His name was Fiore, piloting the Gods Hand.

Fiore ran into the next chamber as well, tall power cylinders with a staircase leading up to another door, with Kargin blocking the way. He was struggling with Reese to get the beam saber out of her hands.

"...Ach...hey...let go!" he said, as he grabbed the saber from Reese, and sliced it across the front of her. Fiore stood in horror as she tumbled down the stairs. She landed at his feet, pain and terror in her eyes. Kargin just laughed and turned away to the next chamber.

Fiore didn't want Tash to die! All he could do for her was set her to the side, and hope that her natural survival instincts would be enough; female ravens had plenty of that. She'd stay alive until he could get her back to the dropship.

He took hold of his pistol and marched after Kargin.

As he reached there, he saw something unexpected... A steel statue of the top half of an Angel-like being in Venus de Milo style with wires running like veins through the eyes. A large power cord came through the bottom of the statue and lead down to a small platform that was at the entrance, and Kargin was standing there.

"Kargin, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Fools, all of you! You should've guessed this was coming. No confederacy has ever worked in the past, I'm just making it's collapse come a bit sooner. The Great Destruction should've been completed long ago!" he said, as he was walking up the large cable towards the statue.

"Fiore, I'm surprised. After all that time you've been around me, you didn't even guess that I didn't like the Earth's policies?"

"What are you talking about?! Before, you were praising Pioneer's methods for unifying the planet!"

"That...was never true! Now, I believe that Kisaragi can unify this planet, and create a new age far better than the one the UEG can make."

"You mean to take the planet by force, right?"

Kargin reached the statue, starring at it's empty eyes. "Don't think of it that way, it's just a more effective method that will bring results within our lifetime so it will be ready for the next generation. A new generation of synthetic beings. A new generation that will not know, understand, or apply tyranny, racism, doubt, or unfairness in their culture. Unlike us Humans, or any other natural race for that manner."

He took hold of the statue, and tried to tare it from it's unholy resting place. "This is the beginning, and it is the end. Behold! This is what Gustave Macross will use to achieve ultimate power!"

The statue gave way, synthetic fluids bursting through the tubes in it's eyes like tears. And yet, in a containment cylinder, there was nothing to be seen!

"What?! Where is it?" Kargin screamed as he franticly searched for whatever he thought was there.

Fiore took the window of opportunity and raised his pistol to Kargin's head.

" Stop! I trusted you! I looked up to you! How could you have done something like this?! ...May Satan greet you with open arms!" he cursed as he waited a few moments for Kargin to turn, then fired.

Fiore ran back outside to see if Reese was still alive. She was.

He took her in his arms, and carried her away, hoping that she'd make it in time for them to get to the dropship, where medics were waiting.

Geeze, he thought. One would think that another identity would be easier. To Raven Cross, this was no longer fun. It's time to get back to Kaori. It's not that Raven didn't want Kaori to grieve over his loss, it's just that death seems to follow him everywhere. Kaori is a capable Raven, she should've been able to handle herself for these past six months.


	6. Memory

Chapter 6

MEMORY

Six months prior...

The desert was more like a wasteland made of holograms than a natural one. There was an eerie silence that made the desert seem more than dead. The wind still blew, and there was wildlife of sorts, but the darkly beautiful desert was more of a twisted maze than anything natural through the constant sandstorms. There wasn't a bit of life within the desert that wasn't twisted by Darwinism. The dead and living alike were held by it. Any animals still living here were twisted to vicious bloodthirsty monsters. Avalon Hill had the same effect on humans. It was just slightly more subtle. Fate, duty, and honor could easily twist the living to its desires. 

Death was no escape from the evil that stained every bolt and every bulkhead of the ship like filth and blood that refused to wash off. Souls that died in this desert shared the same fate as those who died in duty to the Corporations. Incomplete Death. Living Death... Dishonored Death...... A fate worse than death. 

The wind calmed in the area at the very edge of the devastated facility. sand particles drifted around like tiny faeries in a faerie ring. The sand was slowly spreading into the clearing. The stench of summoned evil was still strong here, and it perturbed the dead still resting here. They retreated from the presence of evil. The physical presence was gone now, however. Only the residue of a resurrection was left like invisible smog in the air. 

The presence of a wakening wasn't the only thing in the area. It was covered with the scars of battle. There were footprints all over, and the occasional smeared imprint of oil and booster char where someone had been knocked down. Rock faces showed the fresh slashes of blades from when the battle wandered to the edge of the area. Several boulders were charred black with the burns of lightning strikes that no storm had caused. 

Only one living person remained in the deserted area, crouched on the ground amid the sand and glass. He was reeling from psychological blows that cut all the way to his very soul. His tormentor was gone now, but the encounter haunted him still. This place was hell-bent on twisting and confusing him every step of the way. 

It was a long time before he sat up. 

As well, it was still clear in his mind; a Kisaragi soldier opened the hatch to the Dalriadan, threw Raven into the sand, and blasted off with the rest of his team members.

It was amazing timing. If he allowed Raven to stay in the cockpit ten seconds longer and he could have seen the corpse's face twitch. 

In all his years, Raven Cross had never felt as strange as he did now. A soft breeze caressed the sand, sending a small shiver through the young rivets and dunes. The brief chill tickled Raven's sweat-streaked face, the only small comfort he had. A pathetic thing to be grateful for, a bit of wind on his face. The gentle whisper of quivering sand made it seem the desert was trembling with him. His labored breathing was so loud he barely heard the gentle rustle of dry sand against dry sand, but it reached him faintly. His own thoughts were near incomprehensible, mangled to half-mad delusions as his body screamed pain. 

The shock of agony had driven him into the sand long ago. Perhaps it just seemed long. Two minutes is an excruciatingly long time when you spent it with something impaled into your rib cage. Amazing that no one noticed his screams in the terrible minutes when the pain was fresh. Now he was biting back every cry that welled up in his throat. Mostly. Choking moans did not count as screams. He'd expected someone to come, a friend to help him or an enemy to shoot him quickly. Neither came, more a curse than a mixed blessing. He'd be grateful for either. 

Tiny shards of glass fell from his hands as he raised them from the sandy ground. Only now did he let his hands press against his chest; let them gingerly explore the source of his agony. Become slick and stained until his sense of touch was numbed under red liquid. Discover the shaft protruding just above to the split in his rib cage. 

Energy shaft.... Not unlike an arrow. A damn MT generator energy shaft. The thin shaft quivered in his flesh as if it were writhing by its own will. 

That was enough to send him into a new panic. He desperately tore back the crimson cloth around the arrow, barely able to keep his trembling, blood-stained hands from jostling it. Keeping his hands steady took much of his energy and concentration. He didn't dare touch the pole. A millimeter left or right was all it would take to drive it into his heart if it was not there already, or jostle it and mangle his flesh further, or impale his lungs, or-- 

No, calm, stay calm.... 

He didn't manage real calm so much as pushing back the bare edge of panic. He envied those people who could simply push pain aside like it didn't matter in the least, like it were just some minor little annoyance. Trying to ignore this kind of pain was a miserable failure. Calm? Ha. His throat was raw from unrestrained screams in the moments after he fell; they still clawed madly for release. 

When he looked closely at the rod, suppressing another screaming fit was the extent of his calm. The shaft was sticking in at a slight angle just off center. Too far to the side to hit his heart, thank God. That was no reassurance. Every breath burned with fresh agony at the effort of moving his chest. He couldn't imagine it being any worse without being planted dead in his heart. 

Calm, calm, calm- 

Warm blood was blooming dark red on his shirt, slowly spreading away from the arrow. Pain spread through his chest like a cancer with every struggling breath. 

Calm, CALM, God, stay-!! 

His breathing quickened. The arrow moved in protest. God, was it scraping against the bone-?! 

Every thought of staying calm shattered. 

A wild urge to yank the arrow out rose in him, and he didn't fight it. God, he wanted it OUT of his body! Any pain was worth it, any THING was, so long as it took away the arrow sticking out of his chest--! 

Foolish. A stupid, foolish action and he knew it. Of course he knew. He'd seen men bleed to death after yanking out knives in a blind panic, not realizing it kept the blood IN as long as it stayed put. He knew, but was as far from caring as one can get. One hand tightened around the shaft near the embedded, jagged end, the other tried to pull back the flesh and torn cloth. He clenched his jaw tight, lest he end up screaming or biting his tongue. Oh God this was going to hurt, this was going to hurt so much.... 

No, concentrate. Don't think. Don't think. Best not to think, just yank the thing out quickly and be done with it. Don't think, don't think, don't think, don't think- 

There was a wet sound of tearing flesh and suddenly blood was gushing over his hands like water from a fountain. 

He did scream, twice as loud as before. To hell with calm, this bloody HURT!! Oh God oh God, it hurt so much!! Ripping, tearing, screaming, bloody, terrible, mind-numbing AGONY!!! 

He slumped forward, almost bent double, still gripping the evil pole by the middle. It was all he could do not to collapse face-first into the filthy sand and. Worst of all, the shaft didn't budge. For all the pain he'd just inflicted on himself, it hasn't moved one damned INCH. It seemed to settle in deeper if anything, burrowing its way further into his body like a parasite latching into its host. Wires. Wires... The damned shaft had WIRES! A dozen tiny, serrated daggers locked into his body with no intention of releasing their hold. 

He pulled it again in sheer horror and desperation. It earned him another agonized cry that send crimson liquid splattering over his uniform. Not all of it came from his chest. Blood was invading his mouth now, a gushing fountain with no end that barely gave him a pause to breathe. That made him release the pole to cover his mouth while he coughed violently. A red line snaked between his fingers, over his knuckles and down his face until it dripped rhythmically from his chin. Horror on top of horror on top of pain. 

Sudden apathy and exhaustion hit as fast and brutal as the arrow had. He collapsed on his back, cushioned somewhat by the soft moss patches poking out from the leaves. That earned him another stab for jostling the arrow, but strangely, he was losing the urge to scream. The urge to moan and make pathetic little noises like an animal caught in a steel trap...no, that hadn't died. But screaming seemed a terrible waste of effort when he was lying there in utter defeat. 

The chill wind returned, a soft hand stroking his flushed face and trembling body. Warm tears spilled over to trail down his face. Not since his mother died had he allowed himself to cry freely. Nor did he now; he simply couldn't muster the strength to stop himself. Another scream died on the tip of his tongue. No, couldn't scream any more.... 

Delirium born of mind-numbing pain settled in, seeping its way into every little corner of his thoughts. Every sense was twisted by agony, making the world seem completely surreal. The canopy of dust and sky blurred in his blank, tear-streaked red eyes. Pain wouldn't allow much input from his tactile sense. Just that there was soft, wet sand under his head, and there was some rock or something digging into his side that he distantly wished he could move. The sand was soft as a pillow under his head, nice and feathery and cool against his cheek. 

Maybe... maybe he wasn't really lying in the middle of a desert dying from that terrible pain eating away at his chest; maybe he was home in his bed with his face buried in a pillow. In his real bed, the one he'd slept in when he was a child, not the cold cot in military barracks. Maybe this was a dream. He'd wake up screaming and Mama would hold him close and tell him he was having a dream, no, a nightmare. She would pretend to scold him then, he'd been yelling in his tormented sleep loud enough to wake his sister, and she would tell him he was foolish to be afraid of a little dream.... 

That dream trailed off into nothing, lost in the chaos of a delirious mind. 

His life didn't flash before his eyes. He drifted aimlessly from one thought to another with no real coherency, no rhyme or reason to it. Somehow he curled up on his side, knees halfway to his chin. Rather than the blurred sand, he stared dully at the bloody mess of chest, hands, and pole. His hands were all but dripping red. Red.... The color of life, love, and horrible bloody death. A faint ghost of a smile touched his lips even as he sobbed. He liked red. Pretty pretty red, so nice and warm and bright and, and.... 

His senses were taken over, dragging him deeper into delirium. His nose and mouth were blocked with the bitter taste and coppery scent of blood. It was so hard to breathe, so damned hard just to get a tiny wisp of air into his lungs without choking and coughing up twice what he took in. Cries of battle tore through the fading dusk of the desert around him, but it was all very far away and unimportant. Only muted half-sobs came now, so weak they were barely audible. He no longer thought to yell for help. That same bitter, beautiful crimson would have bubbled from his mouth if he tried. 

He watched the carpet of sand, glass, and rocks change color around him, fading to the red of dying autumn leaves. God...what a beautiful red. He wondered why death was such a pretty color. 

After a few hours, Raven came to. He crawled his way back to the facility. He didn't try to pull the shaft out, since he was completely unaware of it now. It eventually fell out on its own into the sand, the blood trailing as he crawled. 

Raven was crouched at the edge of the facility, next to one of the burn marks that marred the ground in the sand. Crouched. It was too hard for him to stand just yet. He'd tried and found his body stiff and uncooperative. His mind had started out as uncooperative as his body, but the fog had cleared a little. Movement was coming back little by little, frustratingly slow. A little recovery here, a little there... The mercenary was growing impatient. 

The scent of burned grass that permeated the clearing seemed to burn a hole through Raven's sense of smell. It was an overpowering stench. Everything was like that right now. The smell of burning was too strong. The sun was too bright. The wind was too cold. And he felt far, far too tired. 

'Tired' was a joke. Nothing felt right. Everything from weariness to pain to discomfort was fighting for his attention, but none of it could quite reach him as much as it should have. It was like feeling everything through a cloud that softened the impact five times over. 

His strength was slowly but surely returning to him, but for now he felt like absolute hell. And he burned to know how long he'd been out. 

The signs of battle were still very fresh in the area, so he couldn't have been out of it for long. It was hard to know how much time had passed since that battle. It could be narrowed down to the span of a few hours, but even that wasn't precise enough. Every hour counted now. Every MINUTE counted. Raven couldn't leave this accursed wasteland fast enough. When the time came, that is. There were still things he needed to do here. Things he'd failed to accomplish in the battle. 

The scars around the desert allowed him to trace back the fight. That burn was where one of his lightning shotgun sprays had barely missed an MT. That massive glass gouge in the sand was where Lexington and an enemy AC had tangled blades. He could see where he and some other new type had stood their ground against each other. Raven's attempt at a quick and brutal attack against the hated machine ended with a blade shoved halfway into his AC. The MT came away from the attack without so much as a scratch, and had the nerve to tell Raven not to attempt an overboost. There was no stopping the merc after that. The attempt almost killed him. In the end, a barrage of bazookas proved better instead.

Yes, the details of that battle were still VERY clear to him. 

It was nothing he could remember fondly. It had been satisfying to sear Kisaragi and the enemy ACs with lightning quick dashes of the blade, but a lost battle was a lost battle. One he shouldn't be walking away from. 

Raven tried for the third time to stand, but lost the strength to do so before he rose more than a foot. A soft grunt escaped him as he fell back on the carpet of sand, glass crysals, and blood. He wasn't walking away from anything yet. 

The gash on his chest took his attention. It wasn't something he wanted to examine closely, but seeing where a misplaced jagged piece of pipe stabbed him was a little unsettling. Thankfully, it did not pain him any more. There was a lot of blood, but it no longer hurt as much as it had before he blacked out. Not fatal after all, he supposed, but it had knocked him out of the battle for good. 

A quiet, tired sigh escaped him as he leaned back on the heels of his hard leather boots. That made him notice the blood trailing from his mouth. He'd coughed up a gallon of the stuff after he fell, and it was still coming. 

Raven absently wiped the blood from his mouth, then brushed some dirt off the crest on his ruined uniform. A tired but very hateful sneer curled his lips back. The Kisaragi soldiers should know to check corpses before they were buried premature. If he'd had a burial, that is. It was just as well he hadn't. Digging himself out from under a pile of stones or a foot of sand because of a soldier who failed to notice he wasn't dead would not have made the last hour any more pleasant. 

Raven's angry sneer didn't fade any. Kisaragi. Corporate filth. FORMER Corporate filth, anyway, as soon as he can get back to work. Once Raven lost both Lexington and his enemy to the thick dust clouds and the thread of Fate, it hadn't taken him long to decide two things. 

It was going to take a while to find his way out of this place. 

And Mirage was full of shit. 

Thoughts of Kisaragi stabbed at him until he couldn't sit still any longer. Weariness hadn't left him, but his strength was coming back. Confusion still lingered as well, like a fog around his mind that refused to break. At least he was getting better with that. He couldn't remember his name when he first woke up. That damn crash must have bashed him on the head pretty hard to make him wake up so confused. 

Everything seemed slightly off center in his mind. It had taken him long enough to actually come to. The half-aware state he'd awakened to only lasted as long as it had taken him to realize his eyes WERE indeed open, and that WAS the slightly cloudy sky he was staring up at rather than the bright lights that had stolen his vision with a three-story fall from his AC. 

Setbacks only made Raven more determined to get what he wanted. He'd come here to kill this _dragon_. Failed miserably. Intended to kill the Kisaragi battalion too. Failed more miserably. This time he'd add the entire corporation of Kisaragi to his list. Raven had learned a few things from dealing with the less-than-truthful former Corporation of Mirage, among them to take everything said with a grain of salt. Why he'd actually listened to Mirage's directions was beyond him. 

Being at the edge of the facility was a help to him then. His hand felt around behind him until it touched a sturdy low pipe spitting out from the wall. With a quick prayer for strength, Raven wrapped his hand securely around the pipe. Ignoring the sticky oil that smeared on his gloves, he pulled himself up. 

It took more effort than he could have imagined. He had to lean against the pipe to stay on his feet. Something as simple as standing up had never been so difficult before. His joints were sore and stiff, and he was inexplicably exhausted. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Kisaragi had foolishly left him for dead, but he doubted he'd feel any worse if he was. 

The wall was his support for a while. Another moment and he'd be fine to walk back through the desert. It could go on ahead for another twenty miles for all he knew. At least if he backtracked he'd have some idea of where he was going. If he made it back to the Layered district, he could get to the civilian sector and meet up with Kaori.

That would come when he could walk. For now, clearing the cloud around his mind was crucial. He felt half asleep even though he was sure he was awake. As a mercenary and, unofficially, as a brilliant tactician, Raven needed a clear mind and could not afford lapses in concentration. A misdirected stride in the wrong direction could easily kill him. He'd seen it happen to others. The easiest mental exercise he could think of right now was to smooth out the wrinkles that had appeared in his memory. Every time he tried to recall something it took him a moment to process it. That wouldn't do. 

The events of the last few hours were the clearest in his memory, so he started there and worked his way up, recalling every detail with as much clarity as he could manage. The arrival at the facility. The unholy ACs that Lexington and Raven had found lurking here. The slow realization that there was something much more complex going on here than a mission to push Kisaragi out and destroy their _prototype_. The supposed murder of his friend Lexington. The chase down the desert. And the climax of an ill-fated meeting between Raven and the Kisaragi army, a two-on-many battle with Raven and Lexington versus a whole lot of MTs and ACs. 

Raven was semi-conscious for some time after, and what his half-alert mind caught only furthered his solid belief that Mirage _and _Kisaragi were manipulative dogs who needed to be silenced immediately. 

Raven tried to move his dwelling memory away from that. It wasn't clearing his mind any, just clouding it with rage. 

Another memory came to him, one that was far beyond the desert. It came far too easily and altogether unexpected. 

The screaming voice. Someone yelling in his face. 

A spray of blood. Warm metal cupped in his hands. 

Nothing pleasant. 

Triggering that made him instinctively reach for the amulet he kept tucked under the collar of his uniform. An...an old trinket to remind him of home and family. It wasn't actually an amulet, but a small brooch set and threaded on a silver chain. The finest thing he had had ever made. Raven's mother had worn it every day without fail, and it had fallen into his hands when she died. It was always safely out of sight, either around his neck under his collar or in his pocket. He doubted that even Kaori knew he had it. 

Knew. Had known. That was the first time he'd forgotten his sister might be dead. 

He reached for the amulet to reassure himself, and found nothing. 

His hand grasped at his neck. The comforting weight of the necklace wasn't there, and he couldn't feel the chain. That sent him into a panic. 

Miraculously, he didn't fall when he let go of the branch to search his pockets. Preoccupation with the missing amulet made him ignore the fact that he could stand again. There was no reason to check his pockets, he clearly remembered wearing the thing through all his missions out of an old superstition that silver repelled evil. Little good it had done him against the powers of this wretched society. Even the powers of God himself couldn't stand up to the evil that festered in the hearts of Humans. 

After proving to himself that it was not anywhere on his person, he found himself kneeling next to the bloodstained spot of ground where he'd come to, and sifting through the sand looking for a flash of silver somewhere. A few minutes of searching through the bloody sand yielded nothing but rusty stains on his skin. 

It made him feel slightly foolish when he realized what he was doing. Here he was, kneeling on the ground searching for a trinket when there were so many more things he should be worrying about. Getting out of the Layered City before sunset. Getting out of this DESERT before getting out of this City before sunset. Finding whatever remained of the LMC. Fending off the unholy demons and soulless wretches that stalked every inch of this God-forsaken planet. Finding Kaori. Dalriadan. 

Dalriadan...

It occurred to Raven that his AC was still missing, along with anything else he'd had with him. The grave robbing soldier had helped himself to anything his victims left behind, and Raven had been no exception. 

Thieving Kisaragi scum. Thief, thief, THIEF!

'For God's sake, calm down.' Raven could feel his mind getting more clouded with every drop of rage that seeped in. That was what he was working to PREVENT. Getting so upset over a sentimental trinket wasn't going to help. 

Still, the loss of the amulet burned more than he ever would have expected, and no amount of rationalizing would take that away. Corporations seemed to have a mission to take away everything that was important to him. Sera Cross, his only living parent, died with a Mishima experiment. The ravens, his second family, were being murdered one by one by Kisaragi and this whole accursed conspiracy. And the amulet. The damn soldier hadn't thought it enough to kill him, he had to take a trophy too. 

It was hard to maintain much calm after that. 

He had less trouble standing this time, but his body still felt very stiff and uncooperative, like every movement was a delayed reaction. The fact that he still felt strange did nothing to help, but that was another thing he was going to have to deal with as best he could. 

He looked calmer than he felt as he brushed the sand from his clothes and gloves. Raven shuddered. It was so bloody cold in this desert. It hadn't been this cold earlier. 

With a small shiver, Raven headed for the trail leading back the way he came. Being alone in this Layered, day or night, was not appealing. If he went back to the residential district he was sure to meet up with other ravens. If God was with him, he would meet that soldier first. Let the thieving dog stand up to him then. Raven swore that the AC pilot would not live to fulfill whatever little role Kisaragi was manipulating him into. The Tenlos Syndicate was here to smash those unholy corporate dogs and their leader in Kisaragi, and that was exactly what Raven intended to do. Once this horrible confusion and weakness went away. 

He headed back into the desert, trying to remember all the landmarks on the way and wondering why it was so cold. And why the wind sounded so much like distant screams. 


	7. Never

Chapter 7

NEVER

Oh, well. That was then, thought Raven. He had found his way back to what was left of LC 086. The Corporate Sector Authority had cleaned up whatever damage the Lucifer Dragon wrought after the LMC was decimated under its might. A lone colonel saw Raven, almost dead as he was, trying to climb into a damaged MT. The colonel brought Raven to a nearby hospital (Raven, of course, resisted as he tried to explain his situation) where they treated his wounds. They were amazed at how he could survive this far; if he truly came from Avalon Hill without a transport.

Raven was kept under observation in the CSA headquarters until they could learn as much as possible about the attack from LC 386's corporation of Kisaragi. Raven was told about how Kisaragi has started to monopolize the Eurasian continent, as well as the status of the no-longer-existing LMC. Considering the circumstances, Raven took it rather well; only two suicide attempts before he was reinstated as a Raven. 

Soon after, he was introduced to the B-rank arena opponent Reese. They became sound friends rather swiftly. Raven took up another raven call-sign as Fiore, started to create a new AC, and tried to get back up to speed on his skills. After, he acquainted himself to a Mishima general named Kargin, and Reese's father, Mission Supervisor Rein.

After the most recent mission of his, Raven took the wounded Reese back to the CSA. She survived, although is currently going through psychological trauma recovery; which could take a while. After all, her father did die as she was betrayed by her long-time ally Kargin.

Now Raven was overlooking the main highway below CSA's main building, his attention immediately directed at a single civilian, driving an outdated motorcycle, who just happened to stop at the building's main gate. So many emotions flooded Raven's soul as he saw his long-lost sister, all grown up, alive.

He made a request earlier to let her pass; his colonel friend that saved his life did Raven a favor by keeping tabs on Kaori and Lexington (which Raven was also glad that _he_ was alive), and so as soon as Raven learned that she was at the Guardian Temple with his dear friend Lexington, he sent out a job offer. Knowing Kaori, she would obviously take it. Thank God that she did. Through all of his problems, Raven could still crack a smile.

***

Christov and Gustave were having a conversation... when something painful struck his mind. He grabbed his head as he got out of his chair. Christov tried to assist, "Sir, are you alright?"

_Kill... Kill them all..._

Gustave looks up, startled.

"W-who speaks?" 

__

It is bitter...lonely... _They must join us..._ _Kill them!_

Gustave looks around frantically, thinking he's hallucinating. "...the walls! The walls speak!?"

__

Your allies, they dream of killing you. _They would steal your body, your soul!_ _Kill! Kill them, Gustave!_

"CEASE! Silence!"

Christov looks to his associate, "Who does he talk to...?"

__

Would you suffer this alone? Would you be alone, Gustave? 

"I..... Stop..."

__

You will be alone among thousands of souls... Alone... Your 'allies' see your pain and abandon you to it... 

"...you lie..."

The associate whispers to Christov, "He talks to no one..."

Christov raises an eyebrow, "Is he growing even more insane?"

__

...kill them... Why must they enjoy life when you are damned? ...are they better than you? More deserving? They should join you... Join US... Kill them. The pain...your pain...it will lessen when they are silenced. 

Gustave laughed out loud at the voice. A very weak and forced laugh. "HA! Blood cannot soothe this... I'd drown in it first."

__

...You would be hurt more... You allies will kill you. They see naught but the cold hearted monster you are... ...they will kill you and butcher your flesh, Gustave. They will rip your soul from your body...carve you with their weapons...leave your dead husk for the nearest soul to steal... Even now they crowd around, waiting for your flesh.... See them, feel them.... They smother you even now.... 

Christov reaches for the alarm, the associate radios in the guards.

__

You see? You SEE?! They will cleave your soul from your flesh and leave it for the scavenging souls. They will steal your life once again! Your allies DAMN you! They despise you, they would kill you! Save your soul and KILL them! KILL THEM ALL!!! 

"Thieves..." shouts Gustave, "my soul...is mine and mine alone!!" 

Gustave runs up to Christov and the associate, pushing them aside. The associate is slammed rather hard into the wall, injuring her shoulder. They lose their balance for a second while he runs out the door. Christov runs after him. "Gustave!!!"

***

Gustave comes to a halt in a blackened hallway. The black stone has a great reflection to it. Out of breath, Gustave stares to his left.

"So... how's your faith these days?" Gustave glares at his reflection, the reflection's face twitched with a sneer.

"I'll k-kill you...I s-swear to God I will.... Get out of my damn head!"

"Ah, he speaks. It's amazing that you haven't become another brainless zombie. And don't even think about drugging yourself, every drop of science and every ounce of strength you possess could not kill me. I asked you in the regeneration pod if you heard them, what do they say to you now...?"

"What do you speak of?!"

"You're truly too stubborn for your own good, Gustave. Too stubborn to listen to me in the engagement against Mirage, too stubborn to die... You are dead, your _soul_ is dead. You want to kill me, the Corporations too.... Everyone should suffer for your pain. You've been wronged, you've been hurt, so everyone should pay for it. Is that what you tell yourself?"

"Hold yeeeeuu--...your t-tongue or I'll cut it from my own head!"

"Take heed Gustave, or you shall wish you'd never stumbled over your bloody mind's eye. You could have died again just now. Your new allies would have butchered your flesh so that it would not be fit for the most desperate of alter-personalities. You'll not survive here. You already lose yourself and you're too blind to see. Who can I take you to, to make you listen? Alicia? She'd cleave you into dog meat without a thought. Christov perhaps, you got along with the worm well enough. He'd kill you or laugh at you. Your former comrades maybe? They will kill you. Mirage? Bah, they wouldn't waste their time even to kill you. I'm sorely tempted to drag your worthless corpse to one of them, gods know you'll not listen to me."

"Begone... or... you... burn."

"Death hasn't taught you any humility, I see. Perhaps the voices can. (A slight smile appeared when Gustave looked up sharply.) I like to listen sometimes, they have such an interesting song. What do they say to you, Gustave?"

"...I hear nothing."

"I expected as much. Were you praying back there in your new office? Surely you know your clan's spirits are not going to answer you. You're wasting your efforts. You may as well talk to your AC, or myself. At least we'll talk back."

"I'll have nothing to do with you... you OR this schizophrenia."

"No choice. The drugs...or more accurately, Fate...owns you."

"And you?"

"Believe it or not, you interest me. None of us are going anywhere yet, you may as well learn to accept it."

"What do you WANT, shadow?"

"I told you, you interest me. You know you are meant to be dead. Yet you cling to this life, if you can call it such. Why do you not die? Your comrades would be willing to give it to you."

"I'm not dead..." 

Gustave's reflection laughed quietly, "Is that so, now?"

"...my soul, my _honor_ is not. That's life enough."

"It is not life, it is pain. In the pod you were in agony, and you foolishly continued that thought for revenge. It killed you. That thought made you cling to the dark prowess within you. You cursed yourself before you knew it. Will you hold onto pain now? Be not the fool, Gustave. Die."

"If you do this to convince me to die, don't waste your time. I have unfinished business."

"You have no idea. I've some time, the afternoon is early yet."

"Spend it elsewhere."

"Nothing but ire... You are a hypocrite. A mercenary of the raven order who hates the Corporation, yet uses it freely. A soldier damned to be a demon of Fate for the rest of your existence–"

"I am no DEMON!!"

"Denial, You're so full of denial it's sickening. You are a demon by every definition of the word. Hypocrite, outcast, damned, demon, monster, and you deny every one of them. You even deny your soul is DEAD."

"My honor–!!"

"–is little better than a parasite, clinging to a corpse and refusing to let go until every ounce of use can be sucked from it."

"Words. Meaningless WORDS!"

"Do not shrug them off. I know far more than you about the workings of the mind. And–"

"Silence, worthle–"

" --AND I know more about you than you'd guess. Do you want me to tell you about yourself, Engelhaft clan leader? Will that move your stubbornness aside and allow you to listen? I don't need to invade your filthy mind to know you are stubborn, I've seen that. You killed yourself with it."

The thought of his alter self searching through his deepest thoughts disturbed him. The expression in the reflection took notice and smirked. "I seem...to remember...You and your pet scientist...taking turns carving me."

"If you had not fought–" Gustave's reflection is clenching his teeth, trying to stay patient. "I was trying to speak civilly with you, you hypocritical walking science experiment. Maybe you want to be treated as what you are. Demon, damned, hypocritical ZEALOT-- ...gah, your soul is black enough for any of them."

"Begone, I'll not speak to you or any other sides of me."

"'Tis you who's the wretched one...I'd take advantage of this meeting, dear Gustave, You shall be alone all too soon. You are naught but a wand'ring spirit. No home, no family, no LIFE, body or soul. You have no purpose. No excuse for living other than you can. You. Have. NOTHING. You should be bloody thankful I'd speak to you at all, else you'd still be cowering in your office like a frightened rabbit waiting for your merciful followers to hack you apart. Or better yet you'd be screaming as Mirage gutted you. Humor me for a few moments, mercenary king. When I finish, you are free to wander this wretched planet as much as you like. You are confused, I saw that much. This is all new to you, and you haven't the knowledge of psychology or this _life _to understand it. Humans are frightened by that which they do not understand, fear is making you blind. Can you not see how irrationally you are acting? Even when you encountered me in that pod you gave me an earful before ever raising a suppressant thought against me. Heh, I couldn't wait for you to STOP thinking then. I've seen wounded dogs acting exactly as you do now. You do nothing but cower in pain and self-pity and bite anything that comes near you, friend or foe. Look at yourself Gustave, surely you can see...them...feasting on your hate and confusion. Your mind is not so far gone that you cannot sense it. You know, I enjoy learning about others. I could look at your soul and know all your secrets and shames and fears." that made Gustave shiver at the thought, "But I'd much rather hear about you in your own words. Tell me about yourself, Gustave. I am not tricking you. There is nothing I can do to you that someone else cannot. If I wanted you 'dead' I'd leave your comrades to the task. Perhaps I may help you understand your pain. Wouldn't you rather that than to be wand'ring in confusion? A fair deal.

"...why should I?" 

"Do you really have anything better to do?"

"...I want to leave."

"'Live', you mean."

"Both."

"Don't delude yourself. Dead is dead. You cannot breathe life back into a corpse, only...animate it. As for leaving... Fate seals you in the circle of conflict. That includes the bravest of warriors."

"I'll not stay here."

"Fool. You think Fate will make an exception for you? Mayhaps you'll ASK it, and it will take pity on your poor pious soul and give you pass? How strong your delusions are."

"Hope, It is HOPE."

"Misplaced hope." Gustave's reflection raised one hand and thoughtfully tapped his chin. "Hypothetically, if you did manage to leave the city without losing your reputation or your sanity...what would you do? The Engelhaft have no place on the countryside. You'd be torn apart by corporate fanatics the second you showed yourself, and living in exile would be no better than staying here."

"Do not tell me what would be BETTER, Ridding myself of those damned voices would be BETTER. Leaving the life of a raven would be BETTER!"

Gustave's reflection waved his hand to motioned for his silence. "Shh, calm yourself. I know what you hear."

"Spare me your lecture." 

"...Why do you continue to live?"

"Because I can... Because my soul lives. What does it matter that the body does not in a metaphoric sense?"

"You only continue to 'live' because you will not let go of life. Did you ever think you might be able to die if you wanted to? If you released that useless flesh you might be able to complete your death. Think of it Gustave, you needn't stay here. You killed yourself with stubbornness, you needn't torture yourself further. All that awaits you here is endless wand'ring and the pointless existence of damned souls. Die, mercenary. Go to that god you adore if 'tis something for you to look forward to. Die and leave this cursed place. Or you might sink into the whirlwind of souls and scream for eternity. I'd think it worth the risk, myself. Blind, You're naught but a misguided little boy, too blind to see your fate and too stubborn to accept any help offered... I think you enjoy your pain, mayhaps I should leave you to it. It will never stop, not until you die a complete death. No life is worth that, least of all this semblance of life you endure.

"Any fate is better than death."

"Is that what you believe? Is that honestly what you tell yourself? Such lack of faith from a lamb of the Engelhaft... What are you thinking?"

"Are you my confessor now?"

"If you wish it."

"...B-bastard."

Sighing, "Perhaps it might be necessary."

"As necessary as leading us all to our deaths."

"By the Gods, I have never met a more negative, stubborn, infuriating creature than yourself. You make it your personal mission to thwart every effort of civility and kindness towards you."

"And my insanity was the height of your 'kindness'."

"Must we repeat this subject? I know _I_ tire of it. I did NOT want you to loose sanity and stability, Gustave. I can not put it any more simply than that. I did not want a single thread of purpose to die here today–with one or two worthy exceptions--but circumstances do not allow for compassion and kindness. You, sir, played with fire and were burned."

"Do not speak as if you had no PART in it! You aided in–"

"You did not need my aid to slay you! You're naught but a naive little child who– who doesn't take the time to THINK before he acts. You have no idea what is truly happening in this world; none of you do, not even that Corporation you so passionately hate."

"Why should I not HATE it? It murdered my clan and murdered me and you share every bit of the BLAME! God is my witness, I would kill the BOTH of us if I could. Torture and slow death. Gutted and hung out to–"

The reflection burst out of the wall, wrapping it's hand around Gustave's neck, shoving him into the other wall and speaking through clenched teeth. "You....you shut your mouth before I tear your tongue out.... fortunate I don't take your tongue anyway! If you despair so over losing your honor, it should be a much smaller loss. Does the mere loss of a heartbeat truly make a man change so? Wake up, and LOOK at yourself. Is Commander Gustave truly going to reduce himself to sniveling, dead wretch, reaching and reaching and REACHING to find someone to blame for his woes? I did NOT want you insane. If you value the rest of your mind you'll not accuse me of it again. Never. I did NOT kill you. Mirage killed you because you attacked them, you blind man. NOT because they sought you out, but because you sought THEM. Did you expect them to SPARE you– No, of course you didn't, you expected to kill them. You honestly expected to take on an entire army and come out alive. Of all the foolish, suicidal things, you did THAT with no hesitation. So forgive me if I don't weep for the terrible injustice of your untimely instability. I tried to save you. You were wounded, angry, and any other fool would have fled. I told you that charge would kill you, and it did in the end. The rest of your conscience objected to the action as well. You have absolutely no one to blame for your foolish insanity but yourself, your pig-headed stubbornness, and your complete disregard for common sense, if you've any at all-- No, you mustn't. Who will you blame next, when screaming your hatred at the world and I becomes tiresome? Blame your God, Gustave; for all your loyal service–because of it– you are DAMNED. Alicia herself would find no mercy from your God, not here. Blame your CEO, blame Mirage, blame your incompetent clan members, blame...blame... you blame your brother. You blame..." A small laugh. "I wouldn't have believe your were the most selfish soul in this world. Now I do. And you'll continue to blame everything but yourself. You would blame the weather if you could find a way. Well. Far be in from ME to deny an insane man his petty delusions. Wrap yourself in them like a blanket if they comfort you so...You'd think you've a monopoly on misery, Or that everything happens for the sole purpose of making YOU suffer. Fate worse than death by torture, to wander as one of the corporate scum, the unholy demons you Engelhaft have appointed yourself to cleansing.... You are the most infuriating creature in this city, but if you insist you're the most miserable person here, I promise you, I will show you just how miserable you CAN be. I could have you tortured in more ways than your _corporate assassins_ could ever imagine. Seal you in the Kisaragi training grounds, perhaps, the pilots down there would make short work of one pathetic, mewling schizophrenic. I could leave you blind, crippled, stake you out in the lobby like a scarecrow and let the lawyers take your remains. All of THIS–" He gestured with his free hand, taking in the dusty chamber, ghostly sunbeams, neglected vases. "--is a field of daisies and sunshine compared to what some of the unfortunate ravens in this city have endured. So you're insane. So you're a hypocrite. So are half the people within these walls, and the other half wish they COULD be. If you do not like it, you can end it any time you wish. Steal a nuke from one of your fellow ravens, plunge it into your throat. Have it burn your flesh from your bones. I can cut your head off for you if you insist. You would find life as a wailing ghost more agreeable than inhabiting a rotting mind. Then you can scream all you wish, and you'll have thousands of other poor bastards to listen. So what will it be? What will it BE, Gustave? What will it be...?" a pause. Gustave's expression remains emotionless. "I needn't even waste my time guessing, you'll do the same no matter what I say. Wander with your damned, rotting honor, 'tis all you care for anyway. Keep it until the worms eat it, keep it until it rots away. Or give it up. Simple. Choice. If you ever accuse me of causing your insanity again, I will choose FOR you. You want to wallow in misery? Do it out of my sight." Gustave's reflection releases Gustave, "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well...stop looking so bloody incoherent. So you went crazy. So does everything. Perhaps it wasn't your time, or perhaps it was, but there's nothing to be done about that now."

"So I stay. Here."

"So it would seem."

"No purpose."

"If you choose so."

Gustave starts to walk away, the reflection disappears. "No... I choose to stay as I really am; a Raven," he says as he opens a door to an AC garage. Before him is his new prototype AC that his alter-ego created, and next to it... Raven's Dalriadan.

"It is the beginning, and it is the end..."


	8. Shadowed

Chapter 8

SHADOWED

Kylia walked, escourted, into the CSA headquarter's lobby area. Silver, no... the walls were made of some kind of pearl substance, with European-style pillars lining the flanks. The hallway had an archway ceiling with skylights, sun streaks shimmering down onto the blue marble floor. At the center was an angelic fountain.

No, not really angelic. A statue of numerous mythical creatures. Pegasus, Leviathan, Hydra... and to her surprise, at the top lay her own Loch Ness monster. Boy, she thought to herself, did that bring back memories. 

The escort guards retreated into the shadows behind the pillars as she stood near the fountain, drenched, creating a slippery puddle on the glossy floor. After a minute or so, she started to walk around the fountain. 

Memories of better times, ones she almost forgot, seemed to spring up from her for no apparent reason. Memories of her life as a raven partner... memories of Raven...

As soon as she reached the other side of the fountain, past the cool mist of the flowing water, she thought that she was still entrenched in memories and allowed them to seep into real-time. Ha! She thought she saw Raven, sitting there in front of her with his arms crossed in a white suit. What a ridiculous notion. 

Then she saw motion coming from behind the pillar immediately across from her. It was a familiar face... six months ago? Then it hit her, it was the calm, professional face of Roger Smith. 

Roger started walking towards her slowly, with a briefcase in hand. 

"Is this her?" he asked. To whom, she was still contemplating. Her eyes immediately darted back to, what she thought was, the illusion of Raven. It didn't disappear. Instead, his head turned ever so slightly so his eyes met hers. 

Emotions... Emotions of hidden grief, mixed with anxiety, hope and joy. Her eyes watered. What was something that was lost so long ago... well, six months _appeared_ to be a long time, anyway, "...Raven...? Is that _you_?!" She still couldn't believe her eyes. Was it an illusion? Was she finally losing it?

Raven stood up, and for Kylia's sake, gave a slight smile. "Kylia, I also am at a loss of words."

"Raven!" she shouted as she fell over into Raven's arms. She never felt so happy to see him... nor so embarrassed. Kylia stood back, and took a good swipe at Raven's face with her right palm. "How _dare_ you! How dare you keep me grieving over six months! I thought you died! I got _married_, for the sake of Pete!" 

She glared over to Roger, a lump formed in his throat. "And _YOU_!!! Damn YOU for letting the information I gave you slip away! I warned you..."

Raven was recuperating from the slap, a single sweat drop formed on Roger's face. "Well... It wasn't my fault. Where I come from, things aren't as secure-"

"And you think you can use THAT excuse! AARGH!!" 

Raven lowered his hand, and raised it to Kylia's shoulder. "It's okay. I hired Mr. Smith for a special reason..."

***

Raven explained the whole situation to Kylia; over what happened six months ago until just now. It was almost too much for Kylia to bear. She was sitting at the fountain, hands on her knees, her knuckles white; a testament to current fears. 

"So..." she started. "Let me get this straight... You now know where the Dalriadan is. Some guy called Gustave Macross has monopolized ninety percent of the Eurasian continent. The remaining LCs have hired a great deal of ravens, including you, to assassinate him. Mirage is almost obliterated, Crest was overthrown by Layered citizens, and the world government is in turmoil. And Roger... he'll be part of a secondary unit that you set up that will rendezvous at LC 163?"

Roger leaned up against the far wall, "That's right. I'm not exactly a hired assassin OR a raven, but Gustave threatens my own 'Layered' called Paradigm city. I can't allow foreigners to do as they please as the rest of the world tries to live in peace."

Raven sat down next to Kylia, "And it is our duty."

"Our duty?" questioned Kylia.

"Yes. Remember our mom, Sera Cross. She toiled long and hard on Artificial Intelligence in the AIO as cancer tore away her vitality. We were kept in the corporate daycare at the time. You may not remember, but one day she broke etiquette and visited us one day. I remember vividly what she told us... 'You are my children; you are different than the rest. You were meant for greatness...'" Raven lowered his head, "'Never allow power to subside in one place. If power is held in one hand only, some is bound to fall into oblivion, and the sad history of the human race is bound to repeat. If power remains scattered, the Great Destruction will remain incomplete.' I remember it all to well. It is sad that what was left of her was destroyed when a LC 386 raven was forced to reintegrate our Layered with theirs.

"Our path is set..." he continued, "We have no choice, Kylia. If this mission does not succeed... we have no future."

***

Raven and Kylia took to the skies right after. Their path allowed them to fly over a dense forest area near the Neo-German area. The black forest, as it was once called. There was a Layered city to the left of them... allied, they hoped. 

Raven was piloting an old model AC, code named Tallgeese II. A 800 round machine gun, the HALBERD saber, and a shoulder-mounted grenade launcher. Modeled after a famous AC during the war that caused the Great Destruction. Kylia, not as well defended, was piloting a flight-model MT.

Then suddenly there was a burst of orange light coming from the LC. Activity buzzed all over the place like a bee hive.

Raven and Kylia arrived when this happened, and guessed they were about to become the bees first victim.

Raven radioed in as a friendly. There was no reply. 

"Raven...?" Kylia questioned with heavy anxiety.

A group of five armored flight MTs came right after Raven. He shot down two with his grenade launcher before the rest flew past him.

Oh, great! A MT was trailing Kylia. She was good at trying to outmaneuver it, but to no avail. The MT hit Kylia's left engine, causing her to wobble a bit, then spin randomly. 

It looked like she just gained back control when she disappeared under the tree line. Something tore through Raven's gut like ice when he saw Kylia being shot down, and Raven followed.

The reinforcements retreated, but the three MTs kept trying to kill him. The beat up Tallgeese proved to be his savior; it was still maneuverable enough to pass by the many trees in his way. 

A few seconds in the chase, two MTs already hit trees. One still followed.

An energy blast shattered a tree right in front of Raven as they were about to come to a clearing. A few seconds later they passed over a large lake, and moments later we entered back into a thicker forest.

The forest was becoming denser. Harder to veer back and forth to find the gaps that would accommodate Raven's AC. These were really big trees. His pursuer hadn't been able to fire on him in several seconds. That was good, but sooner or later the increasingly difficult terrain would stop protecting him, and would kill him.

Unless... he remembered a tactic I used in a simulator run flying through a city. When he found a safe gap, it was so narrow that his stomach tightened up. It was too narrow, too narrow...but he rolled up to his side and shot through with a quick overboost, the slightly thinner profile of the Tallgeese making the maneuver possible. Raven heard his AC's chest and back gun shred through leaves and branches.

His pursuer tried to stay on his tail, then realized too late that such a tactic was fatal. Raven heard the explosion a mere second after he cleared the gap.

Raven slowly came around. Off in the distance to his right, a section of forest was burning, ignited by his pursuer's detonation.

All right. Sensors showed that the LC forces were west-bound, while a few other MTs to the east broke up in search for Raven.

The encounter was a success, he had a window to break for safety.

No, he couldn't. Not with Kylia still out there. She _might _not be dead. There had been no explosion when her MT fell into the forest.

By memory, by luck, Raven found the small lake and dropped as swiftly as he dared into the water near shore. Before most of the AC was submerged, my decent was arrested by the lakes muddy floor.

He goosed the boosters, driving him forward, and the water rose. He continued, shoving his AC forward, until everything was submerged, besides the head.

Raven powered down, then manually cranked his access hatch open and clambered out as the cockpit flooded.

He retrieved a very large leaf hanging off the shore, and covered the very top of the muddy AC head with it.

There was a lot of splashing going around in the lake, and he saw a few reptilian being enter the water. Not his problem now.

Then there was nothing but the sound of wildlife, musical tweets he ascribed to some sort of birdlike creatures, coughing grunts he couldn't associate with any animal he knew, splashes that seemed consistent with the Human-sized reptilians he'd seen earlier.

Pistol in hand, he headed for shore.

Raven marked the sensor location of Kylia's crash and compared it with his own landing position. He was certain he could find Kylia's MT. He was certain that he _would _cut down anything that tried to keep him from reaching Kylia.

Time passed, Kylia's MT had apparently hit the ground in a soft glade, bounced like a rock skipping across the surface of a pond, and crashed into a line of trees. Now it rested, it's port wing crumpled, it's cockpit canted forward, so it's canopy was half-buried in the dirt, against a trio of trees bent almost to the ground, their roots half up in the air. It's engines were now crusted with a foamy substance, probably a fire-extinguishing foam sprayed on by those who had come later.

Now a Kisaragi soldier stood guard on the damaged vehicle, and was engrossed in a conversation with two other soldiers. Two hoverbikes stood beside the fighters intact wing. Hoverbikes... Mishima technology. Made for multiple terrain searches and reconnaissance.

Raven didn't know why, but he could hear what they were saying...

The soldier who was standing guard was the easiest to make out. "See here. Spots of blood. He was crawling here, but we didn't get any units here before now. The MT was grounded at this sight for half an hour, so he or she wasn't crawling for stealth; they were hurt. We have men on hoverbikes now. They say the trail goes a little less than a kilometer and just disappears on stony ground where things get hilly."

The other two troops looked at one another. The first, the taller than the two, said, "Is there any sign of hovercraft dust-up along the trail?"

"Ehh, no. They would have mentioned it. They're assuming he's out there hiding in the hills."

"I don't think so. They would have found more blood. Even if he or she bandaged themselves, they'd be cutting their flesh to pieces on that hard ground...unless they stopped crawling and started walking, which isn't likely. Scanning isn't doing any good?"

"There are a lot of animals in the region, and they're playing havoc with our scanners."

The Kisaragi soldier sighed, testimony to the guards' incompetence, and turned back toward the hoverbikes.

The other one, a female, said, "We'll find him. Then we'll tell your people how it was done." She followed his partner.

The two soldiers mounted their bikes, and shot off while chuckling to themselves.

Raven stood up from behind a bush in their path. His first shot took the right-hand soldier in the chest, sending him tumbling from the back of his vehicle. He traversed left and fired just as the second soldier came abreast of him. Raven's shot took the man in the side of the head and the dead or injured man passed so close to him that he could feel the wash from his AGD (Anti-Gravity Drive) and smell the char from his helmet.

Ahead, the last soldier was raising his rifle's stock to his shoulder. Raven threw himself to the ground, once again partially concealed by the brush, and squeezed off three shots. The first two went wide, with the soldier's return shot charring soil less than a meter from Raven's face, but the third shot took his target in the gut. The soldier let out a moan and fell forward.

There was an explosion from behind Raven. He rolled over and brought his pistol up, but there were no enemies to confront; the second bike had slammed into a tree.

No time to worry about that. Raven hurried to Kylia's MT, clambered up the broken wing, and peered into the cockpit. No sign of Kylia, as the conversation he overheard had suggested, but it would be good to deny the Kisaragi forces any information they might glean from analysis of the MT. Raven fired several shots into the cockpit, and when the control board was fully ablaze, he dropped back to the ground.

Raven went to find the first bike, and he did. Shame was that the main engine was damaged. Shit, he can't repair it with the tools in hand. Oh, well, he mounted the coughing vehicle and set it into motion along the still-distinct trail Kylia left behind.

Distantly, he could hear other hoverbikes, and flipped the bike's comm.: "Trail of blood stops at the hills." "Bravo Dee Seven Four Two, have Kiosei report back." "Grid Two-Four secure. No large life-forms here except us." "Too bad we can't scan for _intelligent_ life-forms, Deis, that would place you out right away." "No personal remarks, Private." 

Raven drove the hoverbike through the forest about a kilometer before coming to a shallow river that must have been the one mentioned by the Kisaragi soldier.

Raven saw the trail that headed for the rocky hills, where the forest thinned. It doesn't make sense for Kylia to head for such terrain, where it would be far easier to spot her from above. An aerial MT swooped by, flying slowly enough it had to be on reconnaissance duty. Still, Kylia's trail emerged on the other side of the bank, heading for the hills.

Raven paused, sensing some of Kylia's innate perversity at work. The Kisaragi will have no luck finding an injured pilot who was limited to crawling. 

Kylia knew as well as Raven did that a downed pilot who found a river would, under most circumstances, be much better off following it downriver. Settlements tended to be built along rivers.

What if _More obvious than ever._ What if Kylia had crawled as far as the first batch of terrain that would no longer carry sign of her passage, then had crawled _back_ to the river? It was a sensible strategy. It might throw off her pursuers. It _had_ thrown off her pursuers.

***

A kilometer downriver, Raven felt a blinding flash of pain to the side of his head. He almost fell off the bike. Raven took out his pistol and pointed it at a hand, one pale hand sticking out beyond some grasses, waving.

It was Kylia, sweating, paler than usual, leaning against the bank, her flight suit torn to cool down.

"I'm glad to see you," Kylia said. Her voice was weak, very hoarse.

"So glad you decided to brain me with a rock."

"I can't shout."

"Are you hurt?"

Kylia nodded.

"Badly?"

Another nod. "I'm pretty sure I'm bleeding internally. I don't think I'm going to get much farther."

"You're going to get to the rendezvous"

"What rendezvous?"

"Very funny. Can you ride on the back of the bike?"

Kylia was long in answering, "I think so."

It wasn't easy getting her up; halfway, Kylia let out a bark of pain and curled up into a knot and stayed that way, shuddering, several long moments while Raven held her up. Then, finally, Kylia could uncurl enough to take a normal rider's position. Raven noticed that Kylia begun sweating heavily as soon as she left the cooling water of the river, and it did not stop.

As soon as Raven fired up the engine, it let out a more vigorous cough than ever, shuddered once, then died.

"I take it you bought this used," Kylia said.

***

As Kylia laid down on the bike, Raven was a couple meters ahead dragging the bike by rope.

"This is pretty sweet," Kylia said. "Why don't you peel me some fruit while you're at it?" There was still a rasp of pain in his voice.

"Sure. You kill it, I'll peel it."

"...Raven?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for coming back for me."

"If you got captured, I'd have to fill out forms."

"Reasonable. By the way, do you have a plan, or is walking in the river pretty much the extent of it?"

"That's the plan. As soon as we reach a settlement, I'll kidnap you a doctor. A nice handsome one."

"Right," Kylia said. Her eyes were now closed. "I'm amazed you could form a plan, let alone find your own backside without help from a spotter satellite. Raven, if I die-"

"You're not going to die."

"Shut up and listen. If I die, you can't let them find me. They'll exploit my death to their benefit."

"You're not going to die."

"Promise me you'll dispose of me!"

Raven shuddered. "I promise. But you're not going to die."

"Of course, how can I die if I'm going to go for a second marriage. Heh... Well, I'll try to hold you to that promise. There's no traffic, yet we're stopped. Why is that?"

"Your fault for hiring an incompetent driver."

"Oh... what's that?" Kylia asked.

I looked back to see where Kylia was staring, then looked strait up.

Above us was a brightly illuminated satellite. "That would be the device that is causing most of the dilemma."

"Ah, nice to have been able to see her before she was all blown up."

Kylia started to pant, and cough, and then stop.

"Are you okay?" Raven asked.

"I was just imagining what a sad world this would be without my superior intellect and general state of wonderfulness."

"That's not something you have to worry about."

"Oh, yes it is!"

"Now you're raving."

"Ah, that's good to know. Hey, we're stopped again..."

A bit later, Kylia said, "There it is again."

The satellite was distant. It drifted by, not caring about the lives and deaths and victories and tragedies of any human. Such a thing had no right to exist. If it took Raven forever, he would see it destroyed along with the rest of it's ancient family.

"Not too intimidating from this far away, is it?" Raven asked.

Kylia did not answer.

"I said, not too intimidating from here, is it?"

Kylia still did not respond.

Raven stood where he was, unwilling to turn and look, to walk back on his cold-numbed legs to confirm what he feared.

But the hoverbike slowly drifted forward until it was beside him.

Kylia's chest did not rise or fall. But her eyes were still open, directed upward, and her expressionfor once lacking pain, lacking the shields of sarcasm or manufactured self-appreciation was that of a child wondering at the glittering beauty of the stars.

Raven's vision blurred as his own eyes filled with the first tears he'd shed since he was a boy.

***

At dawn, Raven rose from his makeshift camp. He took one last look at the bundle he was leaving behind... ruined bike, and a ruined pilot all beneath the thin thermal blanket he'd retrieved from the bike's cargo... and then headed back to his AC.

Raven had to go fast, but he took a long and lonely time going through the routine power-up checklist. As soon as he left, he turned around and headed for the camp. 

Raven couldn't... he just couldn't go through with it. Raven jumped out back for Kylia. He took her, placed her with care in the cockpit. As soon as both of them were secure, he shot off to rendezvous with Roger. 

He's a foreigner... Raven had no clue if this would work, but he had to do _something!!!_ Roger MUST know what to do. Raven knew very well that you can't bring a corpse back to life, but... Maybe, maybe she's _not_ completely dead... only mostly dead. Raven knew from experience that there's a big difference between dead-dead, and MOSTLY dead...


	9. Cast in the name of God

Chapter 9

CAST IN THE NAME OF GOD

It was high noon, but the shadows were cast far from the Ireland estate. The manor itself was simple; a fine wooden architecture built atop a rock face overlooking the Atlantic. It was chilly, but rather warm for this location and this time of the year.

Roihclem had his back turned on the fresh landscape, the scars of war across the area already healed. The cold breeze gently swept in from the sea. He was wearing his piloting uniform; a green sergeant's tunic with black pants cut with red bloodstripes.

It hadn't been long now, only a few years... since he had liberated LC 386 from the iron grip of the Controller, as well as defeated the only barrier keeping Mirage from expanding. The AI name Sera Cross, the AC IBIS... their words haunted him to this day; _"XA-26483, my function is complete... Raven..... The rest is up to you."_

Those mechanical yet human words, as simple as they were, wouldn't let him be. Did he make the right decision to destroy the Controller as well as the barrier between Layered cities? Had he been right to kill Sera and destroy the AI override signal?

She_ was_ only a machine... but perhaps she was once human. He would never know. He kept the facts secret ever since so many other ravens tried to assassinate the so-called _hero_ of Layered for the past forty years. At the age of sixty, certain bio-weapon side effects had kept his youth and health in pristine order, for some reason, keeping him at a charismatic age of twenty.

His thoughts were broken, however, by feeling a familiar presence. He didn't turn around, the wind wasn't strong enough to mute out his voice. "Miss Tierney, good to see you again!"

Fiona Tierney, Alicia Reinhart... whichever name she was referred to now didn't matter to her. "Roihclem... I..." she swallowed another urge to sob. The encounter with Gustave was still fresh on her mind, "I have an urgent mission for you. It will provide you with your greatest challenge."

This interested Roihclem; he hadn't had a challenge in a good while. Ace, Kaiser, Mobius, and Exile refused to fight him anymore since he kept winning, although he hadn't heard from Exile in some time. Other LCs had little to no arena challenges. He was about to retire until a war started between Crest and Mirage. He was Crest's _personal _raven, thus he handled most of the missions for cheap. All he wanted now is a challenge to get his mind off of the haunting images of the past. "...Continue."

"...Well," she started as she held her left arm, "It's the agitator known as Gustave Macross. He's been wreaking havoc across the continent to the east. All free corporations have made a bounty on him... but no raven survived any previous encounters. Mirage's army can't even get close."

"Sounds good enough for me," said Roihclem, with new enthusiasm. As cheerful as he sounded, he didn't even care if Alicia was close to tears. He could care less; she was rather useless to him during missions, always off at Kisaragi working on some bio-research specimen. "I'll ready the Gemfire, it's best to get a head start!"

***

Near the Moscow LC 186, Raven was signaled to land at an abandoned dropship construction yard while it was raining heavily. There was no crew to help Raven out of the Tallgeese, so he did his best not to drop the pale figure of Kylia as he latched a cable onto the main door, jumped, and tried to control his descent as best as possible. Raven unlatched the cable from his belt as he was greeted by a balding military officer. Familiar...

The officer approached Raven at a jog until he was face to face.

"Raven Cross?" Raven nodded, "Good, I was sent by Roger Smith to ascertain if Kylia Cross is alive. Her MT didn't show up on radar..."

Dan Dastun's eyes glanced over to whatever Raven was carrying on his shoulder. "Oh... Is she injured?"

"She is dead."

Dastun couldn't suppress a surprised look, "What, dead?!"

"I don't intend to let this interfere with our mission."

Raven walked past Dastun over to the bunker entrance. Roger was blocking the doorway. "Isn't it a little too cold to be standing in the rain?" inquired Raven.

"I could be saying the same thing to you," a smile appeared on his face, "However... some people prefer to stand in the rain without an umbrella." His eyes glances at Kylia, his smile fading, "And what's her problem?"

Dastun ran up, "This man claims she's dead."

"Dead? Heh, I see... and you expect a foreigner like me to know something to do with her."

"Precisely," said Raven. "Here, take care of her," he asked as he placed Kylia in Dastun's arms.

"Eh, sure..." he said as he jogged back into the bunker.

Roger turned to follow, "We'll put her in cryo-stasis for now. I know what you're thinking; that's she's not really dead."

"I survived for a few days with a chest wound digging into my heart. I doubt Kylia would succumb to a few internal injuries. She is a Cross, after all."

"Yeah, about that... Is your family special or something?"

"...You could say that."

"Well, I know of a foreign ex-espionage agent named Angel. She's familiar with technology such as... bringing someone who's meant to be dead back to life, and whatnot. I'll call for her as soon as I can. By the way," he continued, "It seems Kisaragi has moved on the western European front already. That LC you passed by was the most recent slaughter."

"I see... thank you."

Roger was surprised at Raven's ability to keep his cool in this kind of situation. Even more so was the fact that his sister was the good Samaritan he encountered not so long ago. Then his watch beeped.

He pulled back his left sleeve to switch on the comm. 

It was Norman, "Master Roger, may I suggest that you turn your television on?"

"Why? What channel?"

"It doesn't matter; it's on every station. It appears that Mr. Macross is making his 'last declaration to Humankind.'"

***

In the bunker, Raven was startled to see some large construct; it was unlike any tank, if it could be called such. It appeared to have two train-like transports at the front, two in reverse at the rear. In the center was held some kind of shallow, winding cone structure. All together it was as large, if not larger, than an AC dropship. "And what, pray tell, is this?" asked Raven.

"This? Ah, it's nothing. Just my transport for my 'Armored Core' called Big-O. It uses a system of subways long abandoned after the Great Destruction. It wasn't too long ago that I came to the discovery that the system connects to every Layered around the world. A great mode of transportation, if I do say so myself."

"And so you're a raven?"

"...I'd like to think of myself as a _Negotiator_."

Soon the two came into a small office overlooking the loading bay where Dastun was already waiting. Raven stood next to Roger as Dastun rerouted the main security monitor to pick up satellite transmissions. 

"Now," Roger began, "Let's see who we're up against."

It came in fuzzy, but they were all sure it was Gustave. "...This war, by nature, must involve a great deal of lives. War in general, my fellow citizens of Earth, must cease to exist within this universe. What a warrior must receive from battle is not absolute victory, but a demeanor. An attitude towards fighting. Honored tradition appears blurred in the cry of the weak.

"The World Government is claiming that unity will achieve peace. I never dreamed I'd hear such rubbish from those old fools. I'm sure none of you have forgotten about an organization that existed before the Great Destruction called the League of Unified Nations. Now did that ridiculous organization eliminate wars and make world peace a reality? Of course it didn't. Under the guise of peace & justice the LUN came to other countries with it's overwhelming military force. If we truly want to eradicate wars it simply cannot be done by unifying countries or Layered Cities. 

"It is a problem that requires an end to earthlings, because we all know earthlings have fought since ancient times; when our ancestors first stood upright. Battles between human races eventually became battles between countries and over thousands of years since the dawn of time, we have continued to write our blood stained history. There's no reason for this other than the simple fact fighting is part of human nature.

"I'm sure you noticed by now the citizens of Layered are a new breed of humans with the ability to gain true peace by controlling their instincts to battle. The Layered citizens have lived their lives underground, where earthlings are not welcome and the people of the Controller knew through experience just how meaningless these tragic battles are.

"Understand that the Layered citizens in the beginning used to be preoccupied with just living underground and they didn't have the ability to fight. Then why does Kisaragi stand up on their behalf? Because the old breed of mankind who loves to battle remains on their comfortable earth and tries to conquer the defenseless new land. It has been forty years now since our people started living on the surface, is it not about time we put an end to this history filled with disputes? To accomplish this we shall need to eliminate the hotbed of all these battles... the place we call the Human heart. 

"Of course we don't intend to hurt people needlessly... this in mind I once again announce to Serge Ramirez, Sovereign of the Earth Government and leader of the resistance that we demand the Earth and Humankind be eliminated from the planet. Send them to space or back into the Layered Cities. If you cannot abide by this demand we'll have no choice but to start a war to end all wars.

"To put it in more simple terms you're bound to understand, it is my mission, ordained by the Maker, to finish the Great Destruction."

The new emotions of hatred swelled in Raven. This was it... this is what his mother warned him about, he _knew_ it. But a thought occurred to him, "Why does Kisaragi follow _him_ if he wants to annihilate the planet? Why don't they stop him?!" he inquired to Roger.

"You don't get it yet?" asked Roger with a confused look on his face, "Gustave dissolved the board of directors. Kisaragi never really had an army to begin with besides AI units. You see now, Gustave Macross _is_ Kisaragi."

Raven turned towards the main gate, "Well, now... It appears the path before us has already been chosen."

"Then tell me, Raven, who is your enemy?" asked Roger. He quietly slipped on his sunglasses as he spoke. "Is it Kisaragi? Is it Gustave? Or is it the people who held you in high regard, but now have branded you a traitor? Surely, if you remember your enemy, then you can find your path, your 'truth.'"

"The one's who have hurt my family. The people who stand before me and wish to kill me," Raven turned to meet Roger's gaze. "That's obvious."

"Then your fight will never end, for your enemy is destiny itself," he said, leaving Raven with little comebacks. 

"It doesn't matter what you learn or what you remember, nothing can change the fate of our time." commented Roger.

"Well, you did." I exclaimed.

"You're mistaken. I still don't remember anything about the past. I still don't know my true enemy. Rosewater, Gabriel, Schwartzvald... fear of memories... I still don't know my true enemy."

Raven stood confused as Roger walked past him.

"My greatest happiness and reassurance in life was talking to you and your sister, before all this happened."

"You do realize that she's dead, right?" asked Raven.

"You're the one who said she wasn't. I've talked to her before, but it's a shame nonetheless. Since your battle for what cannot be won is the same path I have taken, our time of death must coincide," Roger quoted as he turned towards me and flashed his watch at me. "Let's put ourselves in God's hands, and let us end our pointless retaliation."

"Not a very good negotiator, now are you... Were you hired as an assassin?" Roger only smiled, "In any case, it makes no difference to me."

"A soldier who's willing to die . . . In my opinion, that is the most correct attitude toward fighting. But you've lost sight of your path, much like myself. Gustave isn't the only obstacle you must move, you have more obstacles to climb to reach him. My battle for memory, unfortunately, has come to an end."

"Your battle isn't over. Even as we speak countless soldiers are fighting. I know for certain that your battle hasn't ended! If anything should end, it should be my useless and miserable retaliation against that so-called obstacle. No-one has beaten him thus far, I'm not sure I'm any match for him." said Raven as he lowered his head.

"Hmm . . . Raven Cross, please don't disappoint me any further," Roger said as he walked over to the nearest security panel, opening it, and taking from it a security keycard. 

"I have a guide that will show you how to live from now on," he said as he slipped the keycard into a statue, a figure that looked like a demon. 

The cone structure below shuddered a little before splitting apart, shedding the thin layer of dust, opening a doorway into a large crater. In the center of that crater stood an AC that looked larger than any Raven had seen.

Roger motioned me to look closely, "I've sanctioned it the Big-O."

The AC was painted black, it's ligaments black, and it resembled stunningly like a golem of ancient lore. It had huge arms, with some kind of gray cylinders at the elbows. The waistline was rigged with hidden harpoons. The neck contained the cockpit, and the head was the most humanistic of any other AC head part. It was large enough to hold a variety of weapons, but all seemed to be concealed.

"This can show the pilot a clear picture of his enemy, and his future. Regretfully, there was no future for me to choose from, just yet. After you use this Megadeus, and if you end up just like myself, let us both part ways. If you have no future, then that would be the most proper means to meet our destiny."

"Why did you make this thing?" I asked.

"I didn't make it. In a way, it made me... All my life I felt that Humans acknowledged their existence through a continuous conflict. However, I couldn't come to any conclusions. My battle may draw to an end soon and not now, like you say, but I have not yet determined the reason for battle. To find out, I figured something like the Big-O would be most appropriate. In addition, I would like to give my blessings to both the winner and loser. This Megadeus allows me to do so." 

"You think you've found a god or something?"

"Maybe, as long as the pilot has the general will to fight. This AC will eliminate all barriers to lost memories, giving the user clarity of perception. There is nothing more noble or beautiful than a pilot without the hindrance of distractions. One could say that he's the closest thing to God."

"What do you want me to do with this?"

"Show me your ability to fight, your memories, and your future."

"I see. Well, let's get on with this!"

"I must warn you, you mustn't be a pilot 'controlling' a machine with Big-O. That AC is not a weapon. I hope you come back with a clear memory in mind."

As soon as I entered the suit via the 'neck,' the two red transparent side doors closed. The controls lowered from the ceiling. In front of me on the main control screen, the words flashed past me... _"CAST IN THE NAME OF GOD, YE..."_


	10. 10

Chapter 10

SANCTIFIED DECADENCE

Outside the prismatic Layered City that was close by, the free corporations held their own battle against the Kisaragi ground troops.

One sergeant who recently assumed command kept together the troops at the front. Panic was now a common occurrence, but he tried his best to keep the peace. 

The sergeant and his men secured the left flank of the LC as Kisaragi heavy-end MTs came in with portable shield generators and energy bazookas.

"Kisaragi scum... They sent in armies of additional troops!" he shouted. Dropships were flying in tight formation, creating haunting shadows encompassing the entire area, unloading dozens of AI troops.

The soldier next to him gave him sound advice, "Sir, we should pull back before they get the smarts enough to bombard us with that mammoth satellite of theirs!"

"No way, just keep fighting! The outcome doesn't matter as long as we keep fighting! Kisaragi spares no-one, certainly not us!"

Out of the blue, a tremendous tremor rocked the countryside.

"What's this, more troops?" the sergeant pessimistically questioned.

A plume of dust and dirt filled the air as a gigantic figure emerged from an underground fissure. The haunting image was none other than the Big-O.

"What is it?" the sergeant questioned.

"It's an unregistered AC, it's not in any of our data!" the officer exclaimed for the officer squinting at the horrific sight.

Raven looked across the pavement at the battle, the free Layered soldiers were being engulfed by the Kisaragi armored MTs. Raven extended and charged the compression buster on the left arm, swiped it back behind, and dashed towards the Kisaragi troops at speeds that no MT could match by just running.

Raven dove into the hail of fire, zooming past enemy soldiers and cutting them down with the eye laser cannons before they realized that they were targeted. Another group was engulfed in the compression buster's vacuum as it was hastily released.

After a couple dozen Kisaragi troops were nothing but scorching pieces of scrap, Raven swerved towards a group of Layered troops with an unknown urge to eliminate them. He was going to overshoot them when he could sense their fear. No, Raven could _see_ a soldier panicking in fright inside his head. He shook out of the vision just in time to a dead stop, preventing himself from bulldozing over them.

Raven stood a dozen meters from them, his mind now pounding with disarray. "No, they're not my enemy; they're just being told to fight." I said to myself.

Suddenly, another vision struck Raven. One soldier shouted to the others, "Fire! Attack it!" At the same time, he saw that the soldiers behind him started firing, but the bullets ricocheted away. "Then . . . are they the enemy? No . . . Aagh!" Raven cried as his head and body surged with pain and an urge to kill them all.

"...It's the same, it's exactly the same as the ZG my sister warned Roger about! Nng . . . gyaaah!" Raven shouted as the pain stopped and an insane whim grafted itself into his mind. He raised a lever to his upper-right, "I'm getting rid of them all."

The shoulders of the Big-O snapped open, a kind of internal shield generator was revealed. "No-one will repeat the sad history of our past! Anyone who fights is my enemy!" Raven shouted as a spherical barrier with an orange haze expanded from the Megadeus. The air cracked, the ground split, and the troops . . . Layered and Kisaragi . . . were consumed.

In the ensuing chaos Raven saw his earlier experience with Kylia's death, the thievery of the Dalriadan, the fight with Exile and Forever Zero... his mother's calming voice and kind face.

"I can see . . . my memories . . . my death?!" Raven said as he came to, noticing that he was covered in his own vomit, looking over the devastated area. The armies were nothing but heaps of rubble, the forests and fields aflame, and the corpses of every soldier there. All Raven could hear besides the crackling of flames was his own heart pounding with fright.

The cockpit door opened, a male voice ringing in his head, _"Simulation . . . terminated. Returning to safe mode."_

Raven fell out of the AC onto the catwalk, face first. It was difficult for him to get up, let alone comprehend the experience he just had.

Roger walked up, a pleased expression on his face. "So, did you see your future?" he asked.

I just stood there, panting in shock.

"Well then, let's get started," he said as he handed Raven the calling mechanism for the Tallgeese II.

"Roger . . . I don't have the right to . . ." Raven managed to say before he blacked out from the traumatic event.

Roger merely stood, glanced at the fallen being, and then at the Big-O. Dastun then finished his conversation he had with Roger earlier, "I do hope that you were right about his abilities to cope with that system. Was it such a good idea to install it in the first place?" he asked.

"He'll be ready when the time comes. This was just a warm-up."

Two more beings emerged onto the catwalk, one was a tall man, the other female with blue hair. The man moved closer to Raven, "You need to be careful with this kid; he's no rookie." It was Lexington, Roger called him in from the Guardian Temple not too long ago. His wounds were now completely healed.

"I completely agree, Roger. That man saved my life more times than I want to remember... so don't overwork him." That was Reese. She followed Raven from LC 086. "I want to repay his deed to me earlier any way I can. Helping him on the biggest joint-mission ever should be a good start."

***

Alicia went back to Kisaragi HQ to gather her personal belongings; all her office supplies, and an old photo . . . of all her friends in Engelhaft. Gustave was so kind then, but . . . 

She didn't hesitate any longer than necessary to leave to the nearby spaceport. The spaceport was covered in snow and wreckage, but it was unusually warm out. All of the requirements were met as she stepped into the elevator leading up to the shuttle. In the elevator, however, was Christov.

"Good evening, Fiona. I hope you didn't leave anything." he said as he leaned up against the door. Fiona walked in, and the elevator immediately began to rise.

"Shut up, Mr. _Ramirez_." she stated, "Doesn't it bug you in the least that your father is fighting against you?"

"No... not in the least. I could care less if he dies fighting for his Layered's so-called _independence_. Independence breeds chaos; we must submit and be strong."

"Now, where have I heard that before? Oh, yes . . . Macross."

Christov slapped Fiona hard enough for her to loose her balance. She slumped against the far wall with a red mark on her face. Her hand feeling the bruise, she now had a look of utter disgust, as well as fresh tears.

Christov took the picture from Alicia's right hand, "Ah, yes. You still have a _thing_ for him, don't you? You don't get it . . . he's lost it! Forever! The real Gustave Macross died months ago. Now..." he said as he grabbed Alicia's shoulders, pulling her up to his face, "Since we're going to the space satellite weaponry to escape Gustave's carnage, I'll need a little company of my own..."

A hint of fear appeared in Alicia's eyes, and Christov knew it. He liked it. The shuttle began the pre-flight countdown under the gaze of a blood-red moon. The final battle was at hand. 

***

Raven awoke to find himself in bed, looking at a figure across the room. His vision was blurry at best, but Raven immediately noticed that the man was playing a handheld entertainment system. A few moments, and Raven knew _exactly _who it was.

"Lexington? What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I was hired by Roger to accompany you as a chaperone . . . not that you need one. It's good to see you, by the way."

"Now what am I doing _here_?"

"Well, you fell unconscious after Roger introduced you to a new kind of system, and I was stuck with dragging your mass back here. You're somewhat lightweight..."

It was dark in the room ever since Raven got up, so he couldn't really find the light switch. Instead he hit the window switch, raising a few screens to view the morning sun. He was temporarily blinded by a light coming from outside the bunker, mistaking it for a big light bulb.

"Ahh!" Raven shouted, "Lexington, turn off that damn light!"

"Raven... that's the sun," Lexington pointed out.

"I don't care, turn it off!" Raven shouted again, shielding his eyes.

"You know, the sun is a few hundred million kilometers away from here."

"...Well, be a pal, take your AC and shoot it down for me!"

"How about . . . no," Lexington said as he shut the screens. "By the way, what else have you been doing while enjoying your 'vacation' away from me?"

"Oh, the usual; I wrote another symphony. And while I was at it I wrote a draft for intergalactic peace! Where's that damn switch?"

Lexington opened the door to the hallway, "Come with me. I'll have a talk with you on what to do next, while at the same time mock you about your cynicism, sarcasm and your obvious defects such as poor piloting talent."

"You want sarcasm? How about...'Nice to meet you.'" 

***

Raven didn't have a long talk, he heard the annoying alarm for an incoming enemy soon after. Luckily he was in the elevator by then, so it didn't take more than a minute to get to the garage. Roger and Reese were there, discussing something.

"...NO! You can't go, Raven will kill me!" that was Roger.

I intervened, "Oh, God. Is that you, Reese?"

She turned to face Raven, and nearly plowed him over with a hug. "Oh, thank the Maker you're alright! How've you been? Where's that sister I keep hearing about?"

A sober expression appeared on Raven's face, "She's . . . currently disabled from helping us."

A similar expression hit Reese, "Oh . . . I see."  
Roger stepped forward. "Er-hem... Raven, I was just discussing about Reese's role in the next encounter. It has to do with a nuke."

"Ooh, I said I'll volunteer! I want to do that! I'm telling all of you that I want to go fight!" she was practically hopping foot to foot in excitement.

"What... but why?" Raven asked. "You don't need to risk your life again! But . . . can you give me a reasonable . . . reason?"

"I'm just _sick _of the people here, they keep talking like they're all this and that! I'm sick to death of 'Hello, I'm so-and-so and I've killed this many enemies and I challenge you to an arena duel, and we bow and go by the rules and say cute things to one another, and isn't it nice that we're all dead now because we're not man enough to fight Gustave?' Raven, I want to _shoot_ something. I want to blow something up. No apologies, no advanced warning. Just lethal efficiency. Before frustration _kills_ me."

"That's more words than she's ever strung together since I've known her," said Lexington. 

"Okay," Raven said. "You can go, I know you'll strangle me if I disagree with you. But don't die on me, now!""

A large grin appeared on Reese's face, "Yes!! I'll use my new AC! I'm going to _devastate! _Over and over, over and over and over and over, hehehe-hahahahahahaha!!! Watch out, Kisaragi!"

"I better accompany her," Lexington whispered in Raven's ear. "She doesn't appear entirely sane right now."

"Granted."

"That was a joke! _I don't have time to play babysitter._"

***

Before our launch, Roger made us listen to Serge Ramirez's final speech to the free Layered cities. I didn't see the point, but he didn't know we're going to take care of the problem for him. The speech started as everyone was about to enter their ACs. 

"Greetings fellow Earth citizens, Androids, and Layered citizens alike. I won't say 'good morning,' because it certainly isn't. A lot of you if not all may recognize me as Serge Ramirez, the former president of the Earth Government.

"Regardless of whether you do or don't, I suspect that those of you who still have the strength, hate me for abandoning you in your time of need. I don't blame you. Especially given the fact that I came back to urge every single one of you to fight harder. Something which, believe it or not, I'm actually going to do.

"_Not_ because of politics,_ not_ because I was asked to, but because I want each and every one of you to survive."

Serge paused to feel the atmosphere around him, to scan the faces before him on the promenade of his massive airship command base. "Some of you think I'm crazy, that there's no way you can survive, and that there's no good reason to do so. Well, you're wrong.

"Some of your ancestors, dead for thousands of years, were slaves. _They _survived. Some of you oppressed each other like fools, but _they_ survived. My great-great-grandparents were forced to do labor for the Controller, but _they _survived.

"The proof of their survival, of the courage they had, is right here in front of me. _You_ are the proof, _you _are what they lived for, _you _must survive. For them, for yourselves, for the future.

"So if you have the strength to fight a little harder, or the knowledge to fight a little smarter, then use it. Who knows? Maybe Gustave Macross will stop his merciless campaign to wipe us all out. Whatever happens, it won't mean much unless you're alive to benefit from it."

Serge paused, and Raven listened to the person in amazement. The question of what he could say to the public to make them fight on was on Raven's mind ever sine he mentioned it. And now that he has, he was amazed.

"Please, don't be afraid to fight for the life of others," Serge continued, "for fear is our greatest enemy. Remember, fear is only nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes the needed efforts to convert defeat into victory. If that is so, it can be overcome, for in every dark hour of society, a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding, which is essential in achieving the desired goal. I have known fear all my life, and now I have grown accustomed to it. I am confident that you will once again give that support to leadership in these critical days."

The cameras shut off, and in thousands of Layered Cities the views of people of every kind changed for the better.

***

Now, here in the snowy fields, ever so close to Kisaragi HQ, the knots that found its way into Raven's gut became worse.

It had been months since they had taken him away from Raven, his AC Dalriadan… in battle they had become as one, and their power rivaled all assassins they sent to destroy them, up until that day, a grim day indeed. A blasted ambush sent Raven into a spiral of confusion, he was hit too hard. When Raven had awoken he found that he was without his weapon, his partner was gone, they took away the AC that had gotten him through so much, his crimson AC which has shown him the way to victory so many times. 

It had been months now, months that Raven's been searching and finding so many broken links to the thing he's seeked. After a while he came upon a clue. An old pilot told him of a star in the sky he has once heard of, a fortress which floated above the clouds, such a stronghold that none dare reach and expect to survive. This was quite farfetched, yet Raven could not refuse pursuit of it for the small possibility of his goal being there. Thus Raven searched for the coordinates of the space satellite, and a long and grueling search it was. 

After weeks of exploration, with the aid of a close ally named Roger Smith, he found where this gigantic beast was, and he would not stop until he could find the Dalriadan, until he could punish those who had attacked him and his allies so many times for reasons still not quite known to him.

Raven stood there, at the helm of his strong biped Armored Core, the Tallgeese, and with him were his two closest allies. Behind Raven was Lexington, who had been Raven's ally from times long past. He piloted a powerful heavyweight black and red AC designated Heavy Metal. At Raven's right was the female pilot Reese, a high attack-power sniper who Raven saved from death on a mission that went wrong. Piloting her lightweight silver and lavender AC, the Everlution, she would often pick off unsuspecting enemies before they knew what hit them. Raven expected many enemies, and they knew it would be a tough fight, yet they stood by Raven and were ready to fight to the death if necessary.

The snow storm, it seemed, grew violently over the horizon. Loud clasps of ionic thunder could be heard, preceded by the strike of the brilliant lightning. This atmosphere seemed somewhat appropriate for a predictably intense battle, and it all seemed to be portentous. Perhaps all of this was an omen of their eminent demise... perhaps they were in over their heads, Raven thought. Yet he couldn't turn back. They stood their ground, and as the last few sparkles of snowflakes hit the ground, there it was, the fortress of Kisaragi. Our previously unseen enemy finally shows it's real face.

Something flashed in the sky. Lightning? No . . . something was crashing down next to the fortress. A wicked meteor. Screeching through the sky, it created a tremendous explosion of snow, ice and dirt. It left a crater, and whatever hit it was now covered. 

"What was _that_?" asked Lexington, "A missile or something that missed?"

"Yeah . . . Let's not worry about that now," said Raven.

The clouds seemed to part ways with the advent of this gigantic fortress before them, and as they all gazed upon it for the first time without the snow blocking their vision, they were shocked. There in plain view they saw this hellish contrivance for the first time, it's sheer size was enough to drive any realist into madness. As it's huge shadow covered the frozen ground where they stood, it seemed to laugh at Raven and the others. . 

Reese gasped in disbelief. Raven got a message from Lexington... "Dammit . . . this is huge, what do you think we should do?" 

Raven replied in a low tone, "You know… you could always turn and leave, no one is holding you back. Just remember that from this point onward, there _is _no turning back." With these words Raven began to walk his AC forward towards Kisaragi HQ, and as Raven drew away from them he heard her voice.  
"Raven, you don't really think I'm scared of Gustave... do you? Even if we can't accomplish this mission, at least I'll know I went down fighting like my father. Fighting an enemy who's been terrorizing so many different ravens for such a long time. Didn't I tell you I'd never leave your side unless I repay my debt to you?"

Raven never expected Reese to be so open with her feelings; to actually admit that this would be challenging. These must be severe circumstances to change her attitude. Raven then turned towards her AC, a moment later Lexington came across on his monitor.

"Hey partner, what do you take me for? You know I'll never back away from a chance to cause a little destruction against some annoying Kisaragi AIs, whatever the risk may be. Remember, we're ravens, and at heart we all have to fight, meaning we should stand together especially against enemies like this, right?" Lexington seemed more optimistic than usual, could it be that he was in grim denial, or did he genuinely believe we had a chance? The three of them, could they have a chance against something so powerful as the whole of Kisaragi?

With those words said, they looked up to the fortress, something seemed to be moving on the roof. A large gathering seemed to be forming atop the platform, and moments later came their adversaries. Hordes and hordes of enemy machines came. They seemed to be a new type of MT, a variant to the heavy-end humanoid model. Much bigger and much, much more armored. Large arms atop heavily armored legs many appeared to hold what seemed to be specialized energy bazookas. Others carried types of machine guns and energy weapons. 

There Raven and the others stood, ready to face all those who would come to oppose them. As the enemy fell to the ground, the numbers seemed to never stop, they just kept coming. Moments later with no hesitation, Raven cried, "NEVERMORE!!" 

And with a flare of their boosters, they were off towards the enemies that threatened a whole lot more than just them.


	11. 11

Chapter 11

LUCIFER DRAGON

Lexington stopped mid-range and started to unload shots from his KARASAWA laser cannon into the flocks of the large MTs as they landed. Reese took to the air and targeted only the most vital parts of the MT frameworks with her sniper rifle, occasionally engaging her illegally modified CROW stealth extension.   
Raven boosted forward directly into the hoards of enemies, letting off volleys of the durable 800-round machine gun. The battle seemed to be going fairly in Raven's favor, but with every wave of enemies, the battle seemed to intensify, and the enemies seemed to grow more intelligent. Were these new types of MTs able to learn from real time battle data? Could it be possible that Gustave stumbled upon the ZG system as well?

As Raven was down to 200 rounds, he let grenades fly as he tried desperately to dodge the more accurate energy machine gun fire and bazooka shots of the municipal of MTs. Lexington managed to take out a good bulk of their main frontline forces up to the point where he ran out of missiles. He then had to resort back to the Karasawa to take out the enemies, who were quickly charging him. Reese was steadily backing both of them up with the superbly accurate use of her sniper rifle, hitting only the cameras and sensors of the MTs, as well as any vital area revealed due to slight armor damage that weakened the frame's integrity.  
They fought on, knowing that they could not fight an extended, drawn out battle... and knowing the inevitable would eventually happen. Then it finally came to pass; they ran dry on all types of ammunitions, missiles, shots... all they had left were blades. After discarding all emptied weapons Raven fought on for a while with the powerful HALBERD he wielded, but even all of his skills as a blader weren't a match for these accurate and ruthless enemies. 

After a desperate struggle Raven was forced to back away from the enemies, as were the others, soon all three of their damaged and dented ACs were back to back surrounded by the remnants of the enemies. 

Lexington stated, "Dammit, I got nothing left. It's gonna be tough to fight on like this, I don't know how this'll turn out, but… maybe one of us can think of something. Any ideas?" 

Reese then stated next, "I wish this could have turned out better, we all fought so hard . . . It's starting to look bad." 

Raven then gazed up at that fortress, and the sheer sight of it angered him, the fury within himself grew to a level he had not felt in a while. With this Raven felt that he could go on fighting, and he answered "Lexington, Reese, we're in a tight spot. If worse comes to pass, then... it was an honor fighting alongside you two…" 

Raven closed his eyes, tilted his head and started to remember what a brave pilot once told him before meeting his demise… Raven spoke to them again, "I recall what a strong man once told me… He told me that if a chick cannot break out of its shell, it will die without truly being born. Breaking your shell is the most important thing a raven can do. Even if it may be a losing battle, one should fight on, because in the end you will know that you stayed true to your own emotions, and that even if the battle is lost . . . you will know that you did not contradict your own feelings . . ."  
After their talk, silence rang over the battlefield, and the MTs seemed to start moving closer. Perhaps they were ordered to finish them, or perhaps they were acting on their own will. All that doesn't matter, all Raven knew is at that exact moment, something happened that he would never have expected. 

As the MTs approached the three of them and drew in closer, something strange happened. From seemingly out of nowhere energy weapon fire flew over them and blasted the heads off of three MTs with well placed laser rifle blasts. Suddenly landing in front of us, a black Armored Core stood and glared at the enemy. Lexington came across on my screen somewhat surprised, "Hey, what the hell is that!?"

The black AC then responded and said, "It's me, Roger. The military police and I are here to help you take down that thing and destroy these threats." 

Raven thought to himself, _"military police?" _A moment later they all noticed a large, green camouflaged tank AC overboost across the battlefield, taking out multiple enemies with waves of arm missiles. This AC's pilot responded in a gruff voice, "This is Dastun, preparing to make another sweep of the battlefield." The tank then turned quickly with specialized boosters and a large black cannon folded over it's shoulder. 

Suddenly the AC let off a large grenade blast, which traveled across the battlefield hitting it's target, taking out multiple MTs in one blast. On the other end of the grounds were multiple siege tanks and heavy-end MTs, piloted by other members of the Military Police, firing into the MT army remnants.  
The black AC then turned to us after looking at the substantial wreckage on the battlefield, "You three are pretty good, you took out this many even with the grim realization that you were vastly outnumbered… Anyway, we here now to destroy all traces of Kisaragi and these new 'Type-XVII' MTs like I promised. They could become a large threat if left uncontrolled. Soon a large aerial fleet will come by to bomb that thing into a smoldering crater." 

Raven stood there and looked around for a few seconds. Soon he walked forward towards the black AC and murmured, "I must go to the fortress, something of mine is there and I must retrieve it." 

Roger responded, "Wait, no... the bombing! it's much to dangerous and your AC is too badly damaged to risk going up there. You'd have to be crazy to try that in your condition, once the bombers come by you'll be caught up in the blast if you're up there." 

Raven responded, "No, the time is now, I must go… You can't tell me what to do."

But before Roger could continue preventing Raven, a tremendous tremor rocked the ground. A terrible roar was heard across the snow-capped landscape. Raven and the others looked towards the source; it was the crater that was mistaken as a missile blast.

A plume of snow and dirt was released into the air as Raven caught sight of two glowing red eyes in the debris. Fear caught him, wrung him. A horrible event reveals itself once again . . . even Lexington caught sight and gasped.

Gustave was in his pilot's seat, surrounded by a red spherical view screen. His controls were two gelatin orbs and a neural interface. He grinned... "The time has come. Time to show them your power!"

The Lucifer dragon, stepping out of the crater, opened it's gaping jaws, and an intake fan on it's back seemed to be taking in energy particles from the atmosphere. Perfect timing; the atmosphere was full of negative ions after the snowstorm blew over.

The dragon stepped onto the bordering AI MTs, not caring for the lost hardware. The mouth had a visible energy buildup, a white orb pulsating in the throat.

Roger began to strafe to the left, "Everyone, get out of the way NOW!!"

Raven, Lexington and Reese boosted to the right. Dastun moved out of range, but there were some unfortunate police MTs.

The beast fired an ultraviolet beam of charged particles down the battle field, melting the permafrost ground and disintegrating surrounding MTs. The gash left behind was a river of molten rock. Steam from the melted snow created an eerie scene combined with the crash of sound that almost caused Raven to go deaf.

Gustave engaged his outer communicator so everyone would hear, "You see, you SEE? That is the combined power of Kisaragi's ingenuity with two demons built prior to the Great Destruction. One being this prototype combat MT, the other being parts from the space satellite."

Raven called Gustave, "You don't understand . . . whether it's your intention to finish us off, or your whim to gloat over a near victory, now isn't the time for either."

Gustave hacked into the stolen LMC databank. Someone with the gall to talk back? This had to be him... "So you're Raven Cross. Good to see a soldier like you alive and well."

Dastun ignored their conversation, "All units left, FIRE!!!"

Gustave was caught off guard. The Lucifer Dragon was hit with salvo after salvo of bazooka and rifle rounds. Most shots were aimed at the head where the main weapon was housed. "Cease fire!"

As soon as the barrage stopped and the smoke cleared, the dragon hardly had any significant damage. Gustave merely laughed, "Ha! Don't you small-minded fools get it yet? In this world, in this time, power is the most important factor. Whoever has the most power has the right to rule," A pause, Raven walks forward with his allies. "...What will it take to make you understand? Another demonstration of my power?!"

The tail of the Lucifer Dragon opened up, revealing dozens of missile tubes. One segment released all missile, straight into the air, and detonated a kilometer up. Raven was just as confused as anybody, but Reese was the first to look up. "Everyone, look out!"

The majority of allied forces boosted out in time, but quite a few were left to face the fury of giant falling pikes. Those hit were either detonated or impaled permanently into the ground. The dragon then recharged it's main cannon.

"Ahahahaha! That's it!" shouted Gustave maniacally, "Just burn them all to the ground, send them back to the planet!"

Raven, as he tried his hand at evasive maneuvers preparing for the blast, saw Reese fly behind the dragon. She swung her left arm exactly at the moment she jettisoned her laser blade. Gustave looked behind him to see his mistake of underestimating skilled ravens, the beam mechanism grinding itself into the intake fan. "Raven, charge now as he's powering down!" Reese shouted.

The Lucifer Dragon, as well as Gustave, was surprised to see the energy buildup fade away from the monster's gullet. Gustave was getting perturbed, "Come on, you think that'll stop me?" he said as he activated the rear interception guns on the back of the dragon's neck. 

Reese was about to boost away as she was hit with a barrage, a vital spot was struck, "Damn! Raven . . ." her communications fizzled out.

More knots twisted and churned in Raven's stomach, like there was a serrated knife jabbing itself in his heart. "Reese, respond! REESE!"

Roger circled around to the Lucifer Dragon to it's right side, "Gustave, there's no honor at all in you intensions!"

"And what's your point? The _previous _Gustave was the one preoccupied with bull-headed honor."

Roger signaled Raven, "Sorry, can't reason with him. That monster . . . It's my turn!" he shouted as the Big-O plowed it's left arm into the dragon's right leg joint. The leg collapsed, and Roger shouted as he ripped off the Big-O's arm, leaving it in the crippled joint. Roger then blasted the chest area with the Chrome Buster. 

The bright white beam slammed into the right spot, but left only a major dent. "Dammit!"

Raven boosted over to where Reese crash-landed. "Reese, Reese?! Are you alright?"

He was relieved to hear her voice, "Yeah . . . but I guess I'm out of the battle for good, now."

"It's okay, just get to safety. Can your AC walk?"

"I think so... just take care of that creep!"

Gustave was losing his patience, "Lucifer Dragon, how could you let them do this to you?! You're the most powerful creature on the planet, don't tell me you've reached your limit now!"

The intake fan on the dragon's back screeched against Reese's blade.

Lexington couldn't suppress a look of fear an helplessness, "Oh, no! Raven, the fan!"

The increasing tension against the blade mechanism caused it to snap almost instantly. The fan began to swirl twice as fast, the energy cannon charged at an incredible rate. Roger had sweat forming on his face as he backed away, seeing the menace's head curve around in his direction. 

Gustave couldn't help but laugh, "Hahahahahahaha! That's it! Now, fire the cannon, and lay waste to everything in site!" he shouted.

Raven looked at the charged mouth of the dragon. Fear turned into uncertainty, uncertainty into anxiety, anxiety . . . to hatred. Pure, blind hatred. Raven screamed as he charged the intake fan. 

Roger sent a quick message to stop, but Raven ignored it. He dumped all of his energy into the overboost and blade. The HALBERD's range was sufficient as the attack power increased from the momentum. Raven jabbed the red blade into the back of the Lucifer Dragon, straight through the fan, into the vital systems past the thick armor. 

The Tallgeese II was missing a hand as Raven jumped away, an explosion breaking the main power feed. The intake fan snapped and spiraled into the air like a Frisbee as the dragon, devoid of any real pain, screamed into the sky above it. 

Sparks were flying everywhere inside the control pod as Gustave tried to comprehend the situation. "I don't understand... what went wrong? I had all the power in the world . . . and it _still_ wasn't enough." 

The command pod automatically transferred into the escape module. Raven and the others saw as it shot from the forehead of the Lucifer Dragon. Gustave screamed in agony, "WHY?!!"

Raven boosted out of the way with Reese. Lexington, Roger, Dastun and the remaining forces did likewise as the core of the dragon detonated. It was still roaring and withering in artificial pain as it exploded into shards and chunks of molted metal. The crater left behind rivaled that of the one upon reentry. 


	12. 12

Chapter 12

SIN

After a hearty recovery from the fight, most of the MTs were destroyed. Some of the fighting was still going on at the outskirts. Reese, Lexington, Roger and Dastun were fine. Raven then activated the energy bypass system controls. All of the Tallgeese II's energy started to gather quickly into the generator. After compiling for a moment, the alert sounded, all energy was gathered. Quickly Raven leaped upward and began his flight toward Kisaragi HQ.  
Lexington rang on the communicator, "Good luck! And I hope you know what you're doing. I know it probably won't be easy, but... watch your back over there."  
Reese was next, "Raven, I know I can't stop you now, and trying to persuade you to stray from your path is useless, but please... for me, stay alive… I want to see you----" The Tallgeese sounded in, _"Break in the comm system . . . out of range."_  
Raven had to think to himself, Stay alive for her? That soft tone in her voice, what did she mean? She knew Raven lived only for the fight, she knew he was a warrior and nothing more. Did this woman have feelings for Raven? Strange for a raven like her to display this sudden emotion. She had been a ruthless sniper, a killer who put no hesitation into sending the bullet of her gun into the brain of her target. 

Then again, she is a killer, but first and foremost a woman... "No matter," he said out loud, "I shouldn't blur my mind with these trivial thoughts. It is time... There it is..."

The damaged Tallgeese II landed in the central courtyard of Kisaragi HQ. There were three equidistant roads stretching like wheel spokes. His AC's head turns left then right as it's pilot examines the area. 

"Hmm… no enemies in sight, what's going on here…" The AC's leg joint suddenly buckles, and Raven barely corrects his AC's posture before stumbling. Raven runs a full status check on the Tallgeese II... Boosters Malfunctioning. Armament: MWM-MG-800 discarded, Grenade Launcher discarded. Ex-Primary Armament- Laser Blade HALBERD destroyed. External Damage: Left Forearm Destroyed, Left Leg Joint Balancer Malfunction. Armor Points in Danger Zone. System: Sensors-Functional, Radar-Error, FCS-Optimizing, Overboost: Functional.

Now it comes to this. Raven stands there at the center of this fortress. Strangely he see no signs of movement, activity, or even one MT, but he could care less. He was on the brink of finding the ones responsible for the terrorizing of, and unjust deaths of all the Raven's lost when that prototype Lucifer Dragon was unleashed at the yearly arena championship in LC 086 those months ago. 

They all fought back, and most were crushed under it's unreal power. In those ACs that were destroyed were many young Ravens. The young pilots with aspirations to chase their dreams, yet they never got their chance due to that weapon... that hellish creation whose sole purpose was to destroy all beings. Eventually after a grueling battle against this weapon Raven was able to subdue it. Reese, Lexington, Roger, Raven and a few other pilots managed to destroy the machine, but after so many human losses. 

They were still debating on rather to rebuild that arena, Raven doubted he'll even set foot in there again the way things are going now, but he must go inside and meet his destiny. With his participation in the discovery of that weapon, he seemed to have been cursed. The enemies noticed him, and they sent many assassins his way. 

He managed to evade or counter them during the Avalon Hill ambush on a fake mission request. What baffles him is the question of why did his enemies take his AC from him, leaving him unconscious yet unscathed in the desert? Now Raven may finally know, and he must travel into the bowels of this sinister place, not knowing what awaits him. With this badly damaged AC the odds are against him but he could not quit now, and turning back is not an option.

As he stood there, Raven felt the rage of endless combat. As he stood there, with this one barrier left before him, he wanted the blood of his enemies' hearts on his hands. As he stood there he felt the demise of every last enemy he ripped the power out of in his fight with these automated enemies. As he stood there at the center of this fortress in the snowy field, with his final prize left inside of this blasted infernal construct... Raven knew of the risk that awaited him, yet with no remorse he approached the entrance...

Raven walked his AC up to the large skyscraper, to the main cargo door, and with no hesitation he punched with the right hand and drove it into the center of the door, thus activating the weak door mechanism, causing it to open. 

After the door slowly slid open, Raven took a deep breath and slowly walked inside. Once inside he walked along a long dark corridor, and eventually came to a dead-end door. This door opened without aggression, and there at the back of the room Raven saw the crimson figure so familiar to him. Raven had finally found him, Dalriadan was there kneeled at back of the large hangar. There as if he had been placed waiting for him, this situation cried out trap. 

Raven knew something had to be awry, "It has to be a trap." he thought. Raven slowly walked toward the Dalriadan and scanned the area, he saw nor sensed any enemy, and radar was useless due to the radar resistant coating of the fortress. A fine security feature.

Raven opened the cockpit of the Tallgeese II and then code-activated Dalriadan's cockpit. He brought the Talgeese close to the Dalriadan and jumped. Closing the Tallgeese II's cockpit, he also closed the Dalriadan after he set himself in and brought the AC online. 

Strange, he thought; it's amazing that these people didn't hack into the main computer system and change the activation codes of the Dalriadan. But that didn't matter now. He had his old AC back. The Tallgeese II could be recovered later.

The Dalriadan did go through some changes, though... the energy shotgun was modified to narrow the beam spread into one powerful blast. 

Raven stood up and then walked the Dalriadan close to the Tallgeese II. He then made the Dalriadan grasp the derelict AC by the midsection and began walking to the door in which he had entered. "Maybe I'll make it out of here alive."

Raven walked out from the long hallway and was once again outside on the main intersection of roads. He narrowed his eyes as a thin image stood there before him, broken by the sun which shone behind it's figure. Upon seeing this potential enemy, Raven set Tallgeese II down against a wall away from him, and slowly walked towards the figure.

He was in the center of the connecting roads as the image became clear. A new AC, quadruped with grenade launcher arms, sniper laser cannons, and CROW units. Raven's sensors were now working, heard the lock-on warnings for two other units. Raven looked to his sides, and two other similar ACs were walking down their respective roads.

"And who might all of you be?" asked Raven.

"No need, no need!" the frontal AC stated. "Gustave has allowed the three of us to contend with the honorable likes of you. No doubt that you might find that three against one sounds unfair. Three against one, unfair?"

"Sorry, I have this thing about death. It's just not me." stated Raven.

"Fine then," said the one to the left. "We'll have to force you to stay here until you rot! It is our mission to protect the last space pod-"

"And so I shall take that pod, if it leads me to Gustave."

A standstill. Fresh snow fell from the sky.

One of the enemy ACs flinched, letting off dual grenades. Raven jumped as the grenades his the opposite building, sending debris everywhere, but he was hit with two more grenades from the frontal AC, sending Raven back to the ground. The leftmost AC boosted forward with CROWs engaged, firing the laser sniper rifle. Raven strafed from the lasers, and hit that AC with a concentrated shot from his modified energy shotgun. The blast tore through the enemy AC's torseau, sending the upper half clattering onto the concrete.

The strafed laser shots took the rightmost AC in the head and left cannon as it was about to shoot grenade rounds. The left cannon's round was detonated at it hit warped metal from the damaged barrel and crippled the entire AC. 

"What?!" shouted the foremost AC as he saw the Dalriadan boosting towards him. Single-shot grenades flew all over, hitting the sides of buildings, as Raven dodged each one. The extended length laser blade of the Dalriadan activated, burrowing itself into the generator section of the enemy AC. 

"Some people just can't be taught!" laughed Raven as he boosted away towards the spaceport while the last AC exploded.

He managed to escape with the last pod with ease, and looked down with external cameras. The air support that Roger spoke of just arrived, bombarding the area with high-yield explosives. The Kisaragi fortress shook violently as it collapsed into the snow. Raven couldn't help but mourn the loss of the Tallgeese II, "Rest in peace, my admirable friend..."

***

"Get away from me!" shouted Alicia as Christov continued to smother her against the wall. She pushed him aside with force as she ran into the next hallway near the satellite AC airlock. She was about to close the door as she was scared half to death from a figure kneeling on the floor. "...G-Gustave?!"

Gustave was suppressing the urge to scream. Finally he let it loose, "Why WHY?! Victory was meant to be mine, OURS!"

Alicia backed away as Christov caught up. He pushed her aside to witness the inevitable. Gustave continued to fight for sanity. "Nng... No! Get out of my damn head! They won, we lost. It's over!" "No. It's not over until the Great Destruction is complete!"

Gustave pulled out a control card with a large red button. He pressed the switch, Christov and Alicia had to keep their balance as the satellite shook violently beneath their feet. Gustave continued, "Hahaha... fools! All of you will now atone for your sins!" "GET OUT!" "I refuse!" 

Gustave screamed, clawed at his head until he drew his own blood. He retracted himself into a corner like a traumatized child. Alicia tried to bypass Christov to help, but she was shoved back.

"What's wrong with you?" shouted Christov.

"Gustave, he . . ."

"He's gone! He's nothing more than a sniveling piece of rotting flesh! The satellite is about to engage the reentry rockets and crash into the earth. I, for one, don't intend on staying here _or_ leaving without taking you with me!"

Alicia fell to the floor, looking up at Christov. What a monster, she thought. All hope was being drained from her that instant.

Christov continued, "Look at what that maniac wrought! All of my work, GONE! He ruined everything, it's the end!"

A chill formed up Christov's spine. Fear, anxiety . . . doubt. His skin turned pale as he heard the most haunting words he has ever heard. Last word one heard were often disturbing.

A shadow appeared behind him, "It _is_ the end... for YOU!" proclaimed Gustave as he grabbed Christov's right shoulder, forcing him to turn. Christov glared into the eyes of a madman satisfied with what he was about to do. Gustave slammed his fist into Christov's face, sending him flying down the hallway, skidding and sliding on the steel floor. 

Gustave slumped against a wall opposite from Alicia. She couldn't believe what just happened, "Gustave . . . are you really-"

"No," he interrupted. "He's still there... my other self. Born from ignorance, from Jun and you experiments to keep me alive."

Alicia got up, "But..."

"I don't blame you for what happened. Actually, I'm thankful I'm still alive. Still . . . alive." he said as his eyes closed.

Alicia walked over to Gustave. Blood was trickling down the sides of his head. She took out a spare handkerchief to wipe the side of his head dry. Gustave looked out at his long-lost ally. They were the last of the Engelhaft, and a reckless act caused the clan's downfall. No regrets, thought Gustave. If it wasn't for the reckless acts of others and himself, perhaps he and Alicia would never meet this way.

Alicia cleaned the last of the drawn blood, the wounds clotting. Gustave gently raised his hand to push Alicia's away from his head. "I was the one that betrayed our friendship... our planet. What do you think you are doing by healing these wounds of mine?"

"Gustave... I..." Alicia began to get tears in her eyes. The man she once loved... isn't dead. That in itself was wonderful. Now that he came to her rescue as well... Gustave understood.

"Shhh..." he said as he put his right index finger to her lips. He rose, slowly and painfully, onto his feet. He helped Alicia up to meet his gaze. "I have one last thing to accomplish before I can leave in peace. You go and disable the reentry rockets that my other self activated," he then whispered three simple words into her ear.

Her eyes widened in half-shock, half joy. She was now frightened, however, as Gustave swiftly turned and headed for the AC dock. Now the real challenge begins.

***

The Dalriadan jumped from the pod onto a flat surface on the satellite. There was plenty of construction debris everywhere from the removal of the main cannon. The sun rose over the earth, shining at the bottom of the satellite. Orbital dust from the construction combined with debris created an eerie sunstreak effect from the bottom up. Raven looked at the opposite end, where an opponent rose from a loading ramp to greet him.

This AC's design was strange, and it had parts of which Raven had never seen. Seemingly a mid-heavyweight design, it held a gun with a long barrel... perhaps the laser cannon used on protector-class AIs that guarded the previous Silent Line of Layered 086. Mounted on his back were two strange rod type weapons with pods at the tips, and at the bottom of the spine seemed to be booster additions. It also had a MOONLIGHT-type blade.  
Raven called out to this AC, "Who are you, another raven hired by Gustave?" 

Suddenly Raven heard a slight, quiet laughter. This pilot replied with Gustave's voice, "No, no. I'm no raven, I'm much better than any raven could be. I am the leader of the former Engelhaft clan." 

Raven replied "Blast you, you're the one who orchestrated all of this!" "Ah, that toy of my megalomaniac self? Tell me, did you like it?" A rage then overcame Raven, almost driving him to attack. Then he remembered the phrase 'those who make the first moves are the ones that ran out of ideas.' 

Raven managed to calm himself and then tilted his head forward, narrowing his eyes, staring directly at him. "Tell me, why is it that you've decided to restart the Great Destruction?" 

Gustave replied in a synical manner, his alter self creeping in, "I think you human's are the scum of the Earth. A viral beast. You chase your petty prizes like the dogs you are, and go on these foolish wars. You fools are expendable and you blemish the image of this planet. My name is Gustave Shen Macross. My family is a proud family, a family of knights who have always lived by honor. I must fight you, the strongest warrior of my time. You're the one who defeated my Lucifer Dragon. The title of the strongest will be the flowers I will leave on my fallen comrade's graves."

Raven grew more angered after hearing this man's shameless admittance to the mass murder of humankind. He then thought about some of the things he had mentioned. "Hmm… I wasn't the only one who fought the dragon, why is it that I was targeted and not the others…" Then it occurred to him, "That's right, it was my blade that bore through that hellish machine's armor, thus destroying it! So therefore I am considered by you the ultimate warrior, the one who struck the finishing blow. That must also be why you stole my Armored Core... only to get me here and try to prove yourself in battle against me…" 

"Oh, please." Gustave sighed, "Fate has chosen this place, this time, this _fight_ for a reason. I am sure of that. You just happen to be caught up in the threads of fate. I must fight an honorable duel to the death if I must write myself down as an Engelhaft."

I glared up at this madman and began to address him in a low, deep tone. "Honor? You capture my Armored Core, draw me into battle with those blasted MTs, risking the lives of my allies. You sacrifice the lives of all those ravens that followed you… You caused all of this bereavement for one duel with me?! Damn you... You are the scum of the Earth. Now, I'll make you pay, I will give you your chance to fight me, and I'll humiliate you and put your entire blasted clan to shame. With your loss will come a punishment worse than your own demise, your eternal disgrace. The name of your entire clan will be permanently destroyed at the hands of… _a simple human_."

Gustave slightly laughed, then suddenly began to laugh maniacally as he replied to my words, "Oh... you'll see... Raven Cross, you'll soon see that you don't stand any chance against the power of my noble lineage!"

Raven stood across from his enemy primed for battle. They stared each other down. Raven could barely contain his hatred for this man, yet he awaited Gustave's first move. The sun shone off this fighter's gleaming black and golden AC. This AC seemed to be in tip-top condition, undoubtedly because of corporate wealth. 

Raven also tried to study Gustave's strange weapons. This gun of his intrigued Raven, he had never seen anything like it. A silver weapon with three long prongs like LC 086 AI MTs. All of those were thought to be destroyed. This gun seemed to be either a new type of weapon variant, or custom made. The whole body of this AC also seemed to be composed of either new or custom parts, meaning that there was no way to truly predict the actual potential of this machine. His back weapons were what looked to be a thin cylinder, perhaps small missiles or orbit cannons. If this man went through so much trouble as to have all of these components custom made, he must be able to handle them.

"Feel my wrath, RAVEN!!!" Gustave shouted as he dashed forward in a burst of sudden speed. Raven stood there and closed his eyes slowly. A slight smirk appeared on his face, and as he opened my eyes he let out a scream of rage... "Lets go! KYAAA!!" 

Onward Raven charged, and he vowed not to stop until this enemy's blood was stained onto his hands, and would not give up until the victims of the past had been avenged...  
A violent flare of Raven's boosters and he was off into mortal combat, engaged in battle with Gustave Macross. Raven flew upward, as did Gustave, and as their blades met in midair they struggled for supremacy. Raven lost his advantage and was pushed back by the sheer force of Gustave's power.

Sparks flew as Raven's AC landed and slid backward roughly on it's feet. He quickly look upward, and there he saw Gustave's dark silhouette coming downward. Raven leaped backward quickly, narrowly avoiding the downward slash, which would've undoubtedly been fatal if it had connected. Gustave stood slowly from his crouched position as his AC's menacing face looked upward at Raven, standing in front of the melted metal the blade had touched. "Is that all you've got, Raven?" gloated Gustave, "Hah... I was expecting better…" 

Raven narrowed his eyes in reply "Such confidence..."


	13. 13

Chapter 13

SCHOLA ABSTRACTION

The Dalriadan stands there in front of the enemy. Raven stares down the adversary, waiting for him to make a move, but at the same time he notices something. They seem to be ascending… No, the Earth was directly above them, so they're actually descending into the atmosphere. Loud screaching noises could be heard as the gigantic satellite began to fall. The ground that the ACs stood on began to violently shake as the satellite quickly fell from the heavens and the center of gravity shifted minimally.  
"What is the meaning of this?!" asked Raven in a harsh tone. 

"Oh, don't tell me you're afraid of heights, warrior. This is merely something to make the fight more interesting… Besides, it's not _my_ fault." With that Gustave charged forward and swung his blade. 

Raven barely maneuvered his AC out of the way to avoid it. The red AC stumbled to the left then boosted off and brought it's shotgun up to a firing position, the gun focused all shots into one beam, as energy particles began to gather around it's barrel. "Now!!" screamed Raven as he shot off the large and powerful energy blast. 

The black AC quickly turned and evaded by lunging right. The intense blast went past Gustave and crashed into the ground, creating a large shockwave. The black AC raised it's back poles and fired off three shots from the two cylinders.

Raven jumped and boosted upward, and then right. The third shot nicked the right leg, sending sparks flying. "Dammit… That's it!!" Raven said as he activated his overboost, and quickly flew towards his enemy. The Dalriadan brought it's left hand up in front and twisted it's waste right as Raven blasted toward his enemy. 

The black AC's pilot opened his mouth and gasped as the crimson AC flew forward, "What!!" shouted Gustave as a neon green beam formed and protruded outward from the source of the turquoise mechanism on the red AC's left arm. The Dalriadan brought his arm around and swung quickly as it passed the right side of the black AC. 

Gustave merely starred with an enraged look as a large chunk of his AC's right shoulder was taken off. The black AC's shield extension shattered as Gustave plummeted to the ground.  
The red AC landed far behind it's enemy. It stood there leaned forward with it's arm behind him above it's head, still in the after pose of the blade swing. The black AC landed on one knee as sparks flew from it's right arm.

"...How could he have? Raven, you DIE!!" The black AC stood and turned toward the Dalriadan. 

"Hmm… he recovered fast…" said Raven as he turned toward his enemy. The red AC brought up it's plasma cannon again and jumped into the air. The black AC leaped upward and activated it's boosters. Raven let off two shots of the gun, both being dodged by the enemy, the enemy AC's right arm weapon being risen to meet the adversary. 

Raven noticed this, and flew backward landing on a platform. He wondered about the potential of the other weapons. The right gun was merely a detterant as the black AC let off a small floating weapon from it's core.

The small golden device began to fly towards the red AC quickly. An Exceed Orbit? Raven's eyes widened as he noticed that it _was_ a new type that could travel independently from the AC!The black AC landed in the backdrop atop the second tier deck of the satellite. "Now lets see you dance, Raven..."  
The orbit weapon approached Raven and circled around him. "What is it doing…? Damn!!" cried Raven as the orbit weapon launched a powerful explosive onto the platform he was standing on. Raven quickly boosted off of it as it blew up behind him. He turned his AC around and looked for the orbit, he saw nothing. He heard a slight buzzing noise above, he looked up and saw the device fly quickly downward. Raven overboosted left, and the small weapon followed him, keeping up even with the high speed generated by the powerful FLEET boosters of the Dalriadan. 

"This is insane…" Raven complained. He stopped, and while still in midair falling backward, in one motion he brought his gun up and let off a direct blast at the floating disk. The blast collided with the orbital weapon as it quickly flew forward in a flare, it's wreckage fell to the ground. 

The Dalriadan turned and looked upward at the black AC, which was overseeing all of this. "Gustave!!" Raven screamed, "What games are you playing!? I thought you wanted a duel!" The pilot's laughter could be heard over the communicator.  
"Well, I merely wanted to test out a new prototype weapon of mine. Now, for the other…" 

Raven narrowed his eyes "Dammit, now what…" The black AC lifted it's damaged right arm, and raised the large laser cannon. The AC's left hand grasped the bar, or rather handle and pointed the long cannon-like object at Raven. 

Gustave shouted, "Now feel the true power of my lineage!!"

Raven's eyes widened as he saw this new weapon before his eyes. The black AC's arm started to tremble as sparks of bright blue energy began to crackle on the edge of the barrel of the gun. Raven began to back away as he stared upward at his enemy, wondering what power this strange weapon would unleash.

"FIRE!!" Gustave shouted as he unleashed the power of the weapon. A large and almost lightning-like blue beam of energy went roaring with a loud clash through space toward Raven. The red AC bent it's knees and jumped upward, then boosted backward with all it's power. A loud crash and a large shockwave of energy could be seen as the intense blue blast hit the ground in front of Raven. He landed, then retreated behind an elevated platform away from where the blast had it. 

"…Unreal!" Raven gasped as he looked over to the large gaping hole that was left on the surface of the satellite. Geeze, that had to almost be as powerful as the Lucifer Dragon's main gun! 

"Hah! How do you like my new invention, Raven!?" gloated Gustave.

The Dalriadan leaned up against the wall. "That thing is powerful, if I slip up just once, It'll be the end…" Raven tilted his head forward and began to think to himself as his enemy continued to stand in silence. Raven narrowed his eyes, "I wonder if all these so called Engelhaft people like destroying things as much as _he_ does…" Raven then turned and jumped up to the top of the small platform he was hidden behind.

Staring up at his enemy he noticed Gustave raise his right arm again. "Well... thanks for giving me time for my gun recharge, Raven." gustave said as the energy flow once again formed into his gun. 

Raven grinned as he tilted his head to the side "Poor soul, I'm going to put you out of your misery."

"My misery?! WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!!" The gun's intense blast could be heard once more as he fired it again at Raven. 

"Not this time!!" Raven ran forward as bright light gathered behind him. "Now!" The red AC lifted off the ground as the energy on it's back blasted it forward, and the large blue beam passed it's side, just barely missing. Raven thought to himself "That bright light, he can't see in front of him… That is the way!" 

Quickly looking over to his right "…and there's the key." Raven cut his overboost just as it was about to totally deplete his energy, and shifted all his AC's weight so as to make it somewhat fall back. Gustave gasped as he saw the silouette of the red AC suddenly appear far to his right.  
The Dalriadan continued flying upward riding it's own momentum until at the last moment Crimson maneuvered his AC's feet together. The red AC touched down against the side of a large girder at the side of Gustave's AC. Raven narrowed his eyes and grunted as his AC's legs absorbed the intense shock, but a split second later he quickly sprung off backwards and left pushing himself away and towards his startled enemy. "THIS IS IT!!"

Raven screamed as the black AC turned towards him. Gustave, in shock and the AC's mobility hindered due to it's taken firing position could in no way avoid this kamikaze attack. 

"Not so fast!" shouted Gustave.

He brought his blade up at the same instant that Raven was about to connect. The two beams countered each other, but Gustave was being pushed back due to the momentum. "You're good... But if you're going to save your planet, you'll have to kill me." 

A shocked expression appeared on Raven's face. Gustave continued, "That's right. You believe that killing takes away a part of your soul each time. Recently, it hasn't bothered you, but my death will etch itself in your mind forever. I will haunt your dreams, and you will _never_ find peace. You must atone for your sins, and _I_ will give it to you."

"You... damn you to hell! I don't care if I'm tormented forever... I must complete my ordained mission, and stop the Great Destruction from reoccurring!" shouted Raven as he flipped himself over Gustave and onto the ground. The momentum given by the parrying of the blades was sufficient enough, and with one fluid motion the red AC spun while falling and brought his blade around. The bright green beam quickly protruded and it's energy particles and sparks filled the air as Raven slashed directly through his enemy's right shoulder down through the center of the AC's core. 

The red AC fell to one knee as the black AC stood before him, back turned, sparks of energy and black smoke emitting from the black AC's core.

As it's cockpit caught on fire, Gustave said in a low strained voice, "Damn you . . . I will have the last laugh..." 

Raven breathed hard as he slowly stood his AC, the legs moving slowly due to the damage acquired from the move he just pulled off. "Last laugh… What is he talking about?" inquired Raven. Then he saw a man in a space suit fly out of the AC as it began to explode, using suit-mounted boosters to fly back into the satellite.

Raven took the Dalriadan as far as it could go without exiting the suit. When he reached an airlock, Raven managed to dock properly, exit the Dalriadan, and hunt Gustave down.


	14. 14

Chapter 14

PAIN

Gustave stumbled through the dark corridors of the satellite. Minor explosions occurring throughout the structure, lights flickering and spark flying from broken cables. Some bulkheads were dented in from debris collisions.

Why, he thought. Why hasn't Alicia started the reverse thruster sequence? Had she gotten lost? Then it occurred to him that it would be best to head there himself.

Tremors shook the steel hallways. A diagnostics panel to his side revealed that most outer bulkheads have been fractured if not destroyed. A gaping hole was seen in the blueprint... probably caused by his battle with Raven earlier. That unnatural warrior shouldn't be too far behind, if he hadn't left already. But Gustave knew that even Raven wouldn't let this _thing_ fall onto the newly-healed Earth.

Gustave eventually came to the doorway leading to the main reactor room. Here, he could save everyone that shouldn't die needlessly.

He opened the steel door. He stood on a platform greeting a wide but steep staircase. In that great chamber rang with the machinery of rusty gears... gigantic mechanical machines that sustained the ship's most vital areas. While he was looking up into the air, he failed to notice the two figures struggling for suppression on the same platform. Then a gunshot was heard, echoing throughout the great hall.

Gustave immediately looked where the new stimuli of noise was coming from. Christov, with gun in hand, was there to meet his gaze . . . as well as Alicia, falling to the ground, blood trailing from her mouth and chest. She clattered onto the cold, hard metal ground. Her tan suit was instantly Raven near her heart.

Gustave's hands twitched a little. God help him, he was NOT giving up his only friend and ally in this world. If he was to be damned, he'd keep her from feeling it. Any who tried to take her from him could have the wandering pain that, in his mind, he'd narrowly avoided. 

Gustave looked up at Christov, his gun ready, raising it to him. Battle ready. Christov was going to use that despicable weapon on him, or was expecting to at the least.

Gustave's earlier mind resurfaced, _You see? You SEE?! He will cleave your soul from your flesh and leave it for the scavenging demons. He will steal your life once again! Your comrade DAMNS you! He has already killed the one closest to you. He despises you, he would kill you! Save your soul and KILL him! KILL HIM!!!_

The 'voice' was screaming at him now. Beyond the semblance of words, its blood lust and anger practically vibrated in his mind. Those feelings were becoming Gustave's without him realizing it. All he could think when he looked at Christov was that he didn't deserve to live. His gun was ready. He was coming closer. He abandoned him to his fate, and now he would steal his soul! He'd kill him. Raven too, even though thoughts of revenge had been overpowered. 

"Thief..."

Immortality was kinder to Gustave than it was to most. In contrast to the moaning, shuffling zombies who were slow and painfully unintelligent in past lore of the Engelhaft, he was neither. His mind, as muddled as it was, was still capable of thought. He'd certainly been as slow and clumsy as one of the undead a moment ago, but there was new strength as he approached the bare edge of madness. 

In the time it took for Christov to take one step towards him, he was on his feet and rushing at him. 

Christov's gun was taking a shot at Gustave long before he reached him, but it didn't matter. Minor injuries were of no concern to him. Gustave took the magnum shot full in the side and kept coming. It hurt distantly, and knocked him off balance a moment, but neither mattered. Whatever Jun did to him also gave him amazing pain tolerance. He rammed into Christov and shoved them both against the nearest wall, almost falling over the wide flight of stairs in the process. Christov's gun fell to the ground at his feet and clattered down a few steps.

One of Gustave's hands was already holding him by the shoulder of his uniform, clenching the thin fabric tight. His other pale hand shot forward and caught Christov's throat. A second later he had both hands wrapped around. His skin... It was so warm. So goddamn WARM. He still had a heart that pumped REAL blood. His mind hadn't given out on him. HE didn't hear the... the damned WALLS demanding blood. He hadn't been betrayed by everything important to him. He wasn't a bloody corpse ordained by _fate_!

That last thought made Gustave tighten his hands around Christov's throat. Christov immediately grabbed Gustrave's arms and tried to tear them from his throat. It was a shock to find how strong Gustave was. He pulled at his arms, gouged at his face, and even tried to apply pressure enough to fracture his wrist. Nothing had any effect. Gustave either moved to dodge it or ignored it altogether. He sneered at Christov and his pitiful attempts to break free that would have succeeded with anyone else. 

"She... was MINE," he snarled. His hands tightened more. 

Gustave's hands hadn't loosened a bit. Christov was trying to gouge at his face, and having no success. His tanned skin was turning an unhealthy pale shade from lack of air. Gustave's mind still roared at him to kill, and screamed for him to just break his neck and be done with it. Kill him, move on to Raven. Just break his neck and-- 

Gustave did just that. But instead of stopping there, Gustave slammed Christov's corpse onto the ground. He jabbed his right hand into Christov's stomach, pulling out his intestines like fishing rope. The left hand drove itself deeper to pull out the slowly beating heart. He glared at the heart... and was surprised to see that it wasn't _black_. 

After crushing the heart in his hands, the blood spewed like a full sponge, and he wondered what color _his_ heart was.

_KILL THEM KILL THEM KILL THEM KILL THEM!!!_ The crushing command roared orders in Gustave's head and demanded that he follow. 

He seized his head in both hands, shaking it from side to side. That 'voice' wouldn't leave. It was getting stronger. The subtlety and silky words from earlier were gone. Now it ordered and he was to listen and obey. 

Death on one side, damnation on the other. Gustave did all he could do with them pressing from both sides. The wound on his side slowly healing.

It took him a slow while to suppress the voice enough for him to get up from the pool of blood. He couldn't get rid of _him_, he knew that. Getting along would be the hard part from now on.

Gustave got up, and slowly made his way over to Alicia. He was shocked; she was still breathing! He crouched down to her, raising her head up on his left hand, his right probing the wound. The entry should've killed... it was dead on her heart. Alicia's right had raised to touch Gustave's blood-splattered face.

A strained, tired and forced voice met Gustave's ears, "...My...liege-"

"No! Don't talk..." Gustave was nearly chocking out the words, a calm and sympathetic expression on his face. "We'll make it out of here... I'll take us far away. We'll go to our beloved north star, together, where are clan belongs."

Alicia's eyes began to close, "Yes... to Polaris. Let's go to her..." a plea broke out, "Gustave...?"

"Alicia?"

"I'm... so sorry... All I wanted was to be with my Gustave. To be useful... I . . ." sighed Alicia as her eyes glazed over. Her breathing slowed, then stopped.

Tears, tears that never have before reached Gustave's eyes peaked through. A pain, elusive, touched his heart like ice. The burning sensation... it was altogether new and unwanted. He sobbed, "My dear, dear Alicia... We'll go there. Away from this pain..."

Raven was at the bottom of the staircase, pistol raised. There he was, an easy target, but... perhaps there's more to him than originally thought. He lowered his pistol, and put it back in it's sling. "Gustave..."

Gustave raised his eyes. Raven, as distant as he was, could still see that he had blood everywhere on him. His iris' were golden, the rest of the eyes bloodshot. His face a pale white with sickly blue veins near his eyes. His dark green hair soaked with Raven. 

Gustave raised, with Alicia in his arms, and turned his back to Raven. He walked to the closest wall, and set her corpse gently against it. So cold... he turned back to Raven, "So . . . it appears that you definitely want me dead. I welcome it now, but cannot embrace it." 

Raven then noticed the gunshot wound in Gustave's side. He continued, "One last farce before we part ways, then?" he asked as he drew a curved piece of metal from his side, previously concealed. A katana?

Raven looked to his side, saw a loose pipe, and pried it with ease. He looked up to Gustave, "Fine by me. But what about your mission?"

"Feh," sighed Gustave, "I've never had the intention of repeating the Great Destruction. My _other_ self did, however."

"Well... it appears that you want out of this _misery_ of yours?"

"What would you know. You've never loved. You've only killed."

Raven took a step forward, "Consider yourself my last."

"Don't waste your life . . . just go." said Gustave as he walked back, towards the door.

"Is that your answer? Ha! Some great warrior you are. You prey on the weaknesses of others... leaving now would mean that I've won, and you were defeated by someone _weaker _than yourself. That must mean that the rest of the Engelhaft must've been REALLY weak."

That definitely made Gustave feel something. How dare this... this _mercenary_ insult his clan?! He wouldn't stand for it... 

Gustave lunged off of the staircase, and due to the lack of sufficient gravity, he literally flew down at Raven. Raven put his guard up, but was knocked back by Gustave's sheer force.

Raven darts at Gustave, but he dodges. He sideswipes as a second hit, but Gustave counters with his katana as he lunges for Raven's neck with his fist. His hand connects.

Raven stumbles back, gasping for air. He's amazed at Gustave' skill, although most of his battles thus far has left him weary. Gustave has a surprised expression on his face, glaring at the what should be fatal neck wound.

Raven attacks again from the air, barely missing Gustave' face. He swipes the sharp edge of the pipe on Gustave' suit, grazing his flesh significantly. Raven tries again, only to be blocked by the katana. Gustave uppercuts him, then slams down on his right shoulder, immediately kicking him in the gut moments after. Raven flies a few feet back, directly in the center of the bottom platform.

"Now..." Gustave begins, "Let's see how strong an abomination like you really are."

Gustave' image begins to blur, soon creating an afterimage effect encircling around Raven. He's caught off guard, disoriented and confused, not knowing how to attack. Raven pulls out his pistol, and shoots at an image, only to hit air. The images vanish, and immediately Raven feels three slashes in his torseau. He looks down to see the blood spill on the steel floor. 

Gusatave appears in front of Raven, apparently disoriented himself. Perhaps he meant it to be a finishing move, Rave thought to himself.

He took this opportunity to shoot off what was left of his pistol. Gustave says nothing as the bullets go right through. Gustave collapses on his knees.

"Feh, what a worthless fanatic. You're all alike," remarks Raven. He is surprised, however, by Gustave getting up on his feet, glaring at him.

"...You... underestimate the human will to succeed..." says Gustave. He raises his katana into an old-style lunging pose, "...The end has not yet been written, and the title of the strongest has not yet been bestowed."

Raven's eyes widen as Gustave darts with unparalleled speed. In an instant, Raven feels tremendous pain coming from his left shoulder. Gustave's eyes are two inches away from Raven's. Raven is filled with fear, fear not felt in quite some time... fear of death.

Gustave pulls the sword out swiftly and backs away. Raven stumbles back as he covers the sword wound with his right hand, dropping the pipe. The left drops the pistol onto the ground as well. "Why... why in the?.." he inquired.

"For your own good. Killing a defeated opponent is not honoring life, or that which gave it. You have lost to the Engelhaft... now go," pleaded Gustave.

Raven retreated past Gustave down the hall from which he came. He stopped, however, and turned back to Gustave. A great tremor hit, and the gears within the chamber started to break and fall. The ceiling started to crack and fall apart as well. Large vibrations kept Raven from standing firmly without leaning against a wall. Gustave turned to meet Raven's eyes, "A wolf will always be a wolf, a killer will always be a killer, a savior will always be a savior, and a raven will always be a raven... Isn't that right, Raven Cross of the Dalriadan?" stated gustave.

Raven slowly nodded his head understandingly as he turned and ran. He could remember the way. This wretched day was welcome to fly from his memory soon, but he remembered the way to the docks and that one passage to freedom. He didn't want to think about Gustave or his fate, not here and not now. He could mourn for Gustave, a great warrior, later. Dead and lost was dead and lost. If his insistence on evading told him anything, it was that Gustave wanted to be left _alone_. It was one thing to know he was a monster, but it was that much harder to acknowledge that he was quite possibly SANE in his choice to remain here like this.

God, what was Gustave _thinking_?.. Couldn't stop, couldn't think. Only run. Raven had never retreated in his life, not unless ordered by the highest of commanding clients. No matter how many times he willed himself to go back and take up a weapon against the Kisaragi CEO with his good arm, he couldn't stop. Not now. Not when he was so close. 

There was the sound of laughter behind, but the sound was swallowed up in the din of the tremors and the endless crash of falling steel and the screams of frying computers in the distance. His burdens were piling higher and higher; all of his family dead, Gustave left alive, his commanding syndicate likely dead from the CSA, so many atrocities witnessed in one day...

He was a warrior, trained to know and deal with death, and he was perhaps heading towards the worst burden a warrior could bear; retreat, abandonment of duty, simply to be the only survivor. 

The end. The beginning. Beginning of the end. Dear God, which was it....? Somehow, despite the sacrifice Gustave might be making for him even now, perhaps it was an act of selfishness to force the duty of survival on him.

***

As Raven began to walk his AC towards the edge of the satellite, he felt the ship below him shake violently. "What now?!" Raven looked around quickly, then it occurred to him, looking up, "Thanks to that bastard I'm pretty high off the planet. I don't know if even an AC can handle that plummet... Well, I don't have the time to think about this. I have to go now. I won't let it end this way."

Raven boosted up into the atmosphere, and turned himself to meet the orbital plane. He was already going the correct reentry inclination, and he instantly saw the flames burst over his AC. With a loud blast of power the intense energy blast on the AC's back erupted. Raven grunted as the G forces pushed him up against his back as he tried to slow down. "Dammit! This is it! Now, maximum output!" 

Raven reached over and quickly pushed a lever at his side forward. Amazingly, the AC slowed down after atmosphere reentry, an in a sudden burst of power the AC plummeted in a controlled manner. Raven coughed up blood as his body shook violently from the tremendous force. Dangerous, he thought. The maximum output is suicidal. 

The AC spun around violently in the air being not so aerodynamic, switching directions suddenly every few seconds, all the while Raven tried to remain conscious. He quickly tried to balance the AC, but as he did this it switched directions and began to fly downward at a 90 degree angle. 

Raven leaned forward, "What? It's… them." He saw his allies' ACs standing there on the ground looking up at him. He shook his head as he tried to regain his composure. "Pull up, dammit!" 

He managed to balance the AC a bit, and they went hurdling forward and towards the ground. "Can I make it?! It's now or never!" Raven cried as he pulled up at the last second so as not to hit the ground head on. The AC hit the ground and went sliding forward violently. Raven grunted as the AC stumbled forward, rolling and spinning. 

"Did I... Did I make it?.. Did Gustave... make it...?" asked Raven as his head rested on his seat as he lost consciousness. His allies were the only ones that saw an explosion from space, the satellite detonating in a brilliant white flare. 


	15. finale

Chapter 15

AFTERMATH

"Raven... You did it." A female's voice said, though it was somewhat hard to hear. 

"Where am I? Did I survive?" Raven asked as he opened his eyes slowly, the bright light of the room was shattered by the loose strands of hair that fell over his face. Raven lifted up his left hand to brush the hair away, then slowly sat up. "A hospital?" he muttered as he narrowed his eyes. He looked down at his hand, which was bandaged. Clenching his fist, he soon twitched from the pain he felt in his hand. 

"I'm alive... the planet is safe." He closed his eyes. He laid his hand on his head and felt a bandage wrapped around his forehead. 

"You know, you really shouldn't move it. It's fractured," said the voice again. Raven looked around, still unable to see too clear. "Your hand, it's fractured," she said again. Raven looked up, and there stood Reese in his doorway. His eyes widened and he tilted his head as he reluctantly replied, "Reese… What happened?"

She then explained to him how the Earth Government got rid of all traces of the Lucifer Dragon, and that the space satellite was destroyed. A new Kisaragi was forming under the wing of Mishima for medical purposes. Roger made his was back to Paradigm Layered as well.

"What about the Dalriadan?" Raven asked. 

Reese walked to Raven from the doorway and sat next to him in his bed. "It'll need extensive repairs, but he'll be fine." 

Raven Cross nodded and looked to her "Well... what now?" Reese suddenly leaned up against Raven and stared him in the eyes. "Wha... Uh, Reese..." Raven replied, as if surprised. 

"Raven, don't ever do that again. You shouldn't just go off all suicidal like that..." Raven kind of jumped in surprise, but then reluctantly placed his hand on her back. She lied her head against his chest and sighed. 

"Reese, I..." 

Interrupting his sentence Reese replied, "Okay, I'll have to go and see about my AC's repairs. Lexington's already seeing about it. See ya later!" Reese quickly jumped up and walked out of the door. Raven fell over from his bed. "What the...?! What was that about? Gah... what _was _I just thinking..." The sheets fell over his face as he lied there confused.

Raven then stood slowly, weary of his minor injuries. He scratched his head, contemplating for a few seconds. "Feh... Whatever." 

He walked to his hospital window and gazed out of it. He saw Lexington below him standing with his back up against a wall, outside of a nearby garage. Reese soon walked up to him, said something, then walked inside. Raven looked up at the sky, and in the distance, saw a black bird flying off into the sky. 

"Is that… a raven?" A small grin appeared on his face and he tilted his head and closed his eyes. "Ha! Fate seems to have it's own sense of irony. Well, it seems that I've survived… somehow." Raven turned and walked to the closet in the corner of the hospital room. He opened it and pulled out his crimson uniform, slid on his boots, and walked for the door. "Gustave, I salute your courage. I know you're not dead, and I hope to have another duel."

***

In a far off section of space, a small chuck of the space weapons satellite made it's way to Mars. With it's current course, it should take about three months. The reactor explosion gave it plenty of propellant power.

Three months... that was nothing without food or water. Two beings rested in the last life-supported deck, one dead, the other couldn't die. Fate seemed to force the two together. "Oh yes..." said Gustave, looking over to his beloved Alicia in the copilot's seat, "We'll go there together... to Polaris."

The End...


End file.
